Iron Roses
by Aequanoctis
Summary: A depressed Quistis suddenly diseappear from Deling City Train Station and guess who's chosen to run after her... Seiftis!
1. Default Chapter

What's ahead?: Hetero lemon and probably a bit of yaoi (still have to think about it!)  
  
Pairing: Mainly Quistis/Seifer  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own and I really regret it :)  
  
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Chapter 1: Unlocked chains and a key.  
  
  
  
  
  
Balamb Garden.  
  
Seifer could smell the clean perfume of his home, as its huge bright white form emerged from the hills. Balloons and large flags wavered in the bitter spring wind. It was a celebration day. Today, Squall Leonhart, hero of the war against Ultimecia, returned to his home Garden after two months spent in Deling City's most skilled hospital for neurology. Fallen into a deep post-traumatic shock after Time-Compression, he had to be cured with the purest Esuna and Curaga spells to prevent amnesia and brain damages. He has been freed from hospital the day before, and was scheduled to land at Garden in the Ragnarok at the end of the afternoon, just a few hours before the new SeeDs ball. Rinoa, who was apparently Squall's girlfriend, and Quistis, who also suffered physical damages from Time-compression, accompanied him.  
  
Meanwhile, everything returned to normal. Trabia Garden was rebuilt, Galbadia and Balamb Gardens brought back where they had been built and Cid, in association with Eshtar specialists and scholars, was currently designing plans for a fourth Garden, meant to replace the old Ehstar's Sorceress memorial. Yes, everything was back into place. Even himself, the Sorceress' Knight, has returned to his old self, old dorm, and, unable to become a regular SeeD dues to his inner hate of orders and discipline, had found his way in a serious and very selective course for "special" SeeDs members. Pepper, the gorgeous 50-years-old woman who was now his only teacher, was all cleverness and knowledge, and helped him discovering things inside him he couldn't even imagine he has until now.  
  
He had discovered that regular SeeD life, the straight missions, the firm rule never to go against orders, was a boring life, mainly created for people who, unlike him, didn't cared having their whole life taken from them and offered like dead meat to other people. Pepper opened his eyes to a whole new way to see his job as a SeeD. He liked it. He trained hard and got good grades at the lastest tests. Cid already told him he'd be a part of the next important mission and then he'd be either sent to the new Eshtar Garden or to Galbadia, where SeeDs of his kind received more specific training following their choices.  
  
He was happy. And tonight, the very last piece of his life he hadn't brought back in place, would be there. He nodded to the people saluting him near the main gate. He was still mainly seen as an asshole, but had more friends than before, the time when Raijin and Fuujin followed him around like lost puppies.  
  
Whatever happened to them? He didn't knew. Nor does he cared.  
  
He reached his dorm room and threw his dirty gunblade on the side of the door. Opening the wardrobe, he gave his new uniform a quick, proud look. Dark blue with gold chains and even his first medal, a small golden disk with a dove, for his excellent grades in various courses. Tonight he was taking part in the SeeD ball, and not as the sad spectator he used to be.  
  
Tonight was his night.  
  
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Short introduction. Like it? not? Comments and advices welcome as always! 


	2. Rain of rust

What's ahead?: Hetero lemon and probably a bit of yaoi (still have to think about it!)  
  
Pairing: Mainly Quistis/Seifer  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own and I really regret it :)  
  
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Chapter 2: Rain of rust  
  
  
  
(On board of the Ragnarok)  
  
Her soft whisper came from beside him, slightly muffled as she rested her head against his shoulder and kissed it. Squall, busy with the ship's commands, flipped a few more switches before he turned his head to her, but her closed eyes didn't met his. It was probably better that way. She was the first person he had seen when waking up in Deling City's hospital, feeling nothing but pain, a huge cocoon of pain encircling his broken body. They said post-traumatism. It was more like a personal apoclypse. Not a bone, not a vein in his body hasn't got a total checkup. He was the hero, it was his duty to stay in one piece. Rinoa helped him. The first days, when he was totally lost from all the painkillers he was litterally fed with, she's be the one holding his hand, the only familiar face he could hold on to when he was knocked out or feverish. He was immensely thankful to her for all she has done.  
  
If only she hadn't done it with "love."  
  
Love wasn't something he was comfortable with. Especially when that love was coming from someone he considered as a great friend, who had suffered with him while they were fighting Ultimecia, and after. And apparently Rinoa jumped to conclusions and now he was stuck with her, acting with her like he actually was her boyfriend althought he never felt anything more than friendly tenderness for her. He had sex with her. More than once. He acted just like a loving boyfriend. How could he act differently after all she had done?  
  
But you don't "love" her...and tonight is the SeeD ball...  
  
Squall have toyed with the idea of telling her the thruth for the whole week. Because things would be differents back at Garden. Because he didn't wanted everybody, his old friends, his superiors and inferiors in rank, to believe he was actually Rinoa's boyfriend. He was an icy bastard and he has some pride. If he had to fall for someone, he'd fall. But hell, he'd never want anybody to believe he had fallen when he didn't!  
  
The man checked his watch, then the world map emblazoned up the command deck. He was just above Timber forest, he could see the scared cockatrices fly under Ragnarok's clawed feet. Still one hour to go and he'd be back home to his new life. Then what would happen?  
  
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Seifer was knocked out of his reading by the very annoying intercom bell and Cid's voice:  
  
"This is Headmaster Cid talking. Commander Leonhart's ship have been located over Balamb and will land here shortly. Everybody gathers at the landing area. No pushing, no running in the corridors!"  
  
And it was instantly party outside. Seifer could hear the human tide flowing from the dorm area to the outside of Garden, where a landing space have been built for the return of the one and only Ragnarak-and it's one and only owner. Seifer sighed and closed the book- it was a very strange story about an ugly boy obsessed with scents and who had no scent himself. Pepper lent it to him three days ago and he had litteraly devoured it. Placing the book back on the shelf, he stood up, stretched and straightened his clothes, and grabbed his trench coat from the nearby chair. Stepping out the door, he left a couple overexcited kids pass in front of him before he joined the crowd down the hallway. Outside, the sun was slowly setting behind Balamb's mountains, dark green meeting fire red in a fiery embrace. In front of him, the huge form of the Ragnarok was landing, his hot breath blowing the scent of oil and steel in his nostrils. Slowly, almost ceremoniously, the ship landed and the boarding ramp descended. Then Squall appeared, quickly followed by a very excited Rinoa, who jumped behing him and grabbed his arm to walk down the ramp. Squall accepted the gesture with uneasiness and led her to Cid's handshake and then to the Garden's entrance. Apparently, Squall would have a private meeting with the Headmaster before joining them. Seifer sighed, he had really hoped to catch up with Squall and maybe invite him for a beer or a cup of coffee before the great ball. So much happened since Ultimecia's death, and it hurt Seifer to think Squall maybe still thought of him as a witch's lapdog.  
  
"Seifer?"  
  
This sweet, tingling voice. Rinoa.  
  
"Hi..."  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"Good...how's Squall?"  
  
"Oh he's fine."  
  
"And...how's Quistis?"  
  
« She's been a little depressed lately...I guess she's not used to being away from the action."  
  
"Yeah...and where is she?"  
  
"Well she should be back in time for the ball. She promised."  
  
"Wasn't she in the Ragnarok with you?"  
  
"No, she wanted to spend a couple of days by herself before coming back to Garden...she left a week ago, by train, she was heading to FH."  
  
"Oh...I hoped I could see her before the ball. Too bad."  
  
"She'd be there tonight, don't worry, she'll see you become a SeeD. And by the wait, congratulations! I knew you would make it."  
  
Seifer smiled at the made-up phrase. The summer before, Rinoa had tried to make him quit Garden and join the Timber owls, arguing he would never make it to be a SeeD. Seifer wondered if she'd said it because she badly wanted him to join her resistance movement, or because she really thought he was a loser and wanted to help him. In both cases, he felt the sudden urge to crush her skull against the wall and watch her brain splurt out of her ears. He swiftly turned his back to Rinoa and walked toward the Garden. His happiness was gone, he just felt empty, and moody. He went back to his dorm room, slamming the door shut behind him. He fell backward on his bed, using one of his arms as a pillow while he shifted to grab the book he had been reading earlier, throwing it away as soon as it have been opened. He didn't felt like reading, he felt like smashing things. Something inside him told him Quistis was not going to be back in time for the ball. It was already six and they had to be ready at seven flush. No, Quistis wouldn't be there. The scene he had been repeating in his mind for the past two months wouldn't come to reality. He wouldn't tell her how he felt for her. For a moment, he considered telling the Headmaster he was sick and couldn't attend the ball. But it was still his night. Could he let her steal his night? No, definitely not. So he pulled out the beautiful uniform from his wardrobe and slowly got dressed, stopping from time to time to sweep an angry tear, swearing at his own weakness.  
  
  
  
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It was a bit weird for Squall to be back in his SeeD uniform. After the Ultimecia events, he had a lot of time to spend alone with himself, and to question himself about his own life. He remembered the last time he had wore this uniform. The SeeD ball, last year. When his heart had been briefly smitten by Rinoa's perky, care-free attitute. He couldn't tell what happened to him since then. Losing the last remains of innocence, meeting hate and despair in it's purest forms. Learning from it all. All this with only one SeeD mission, his first. And maybe his last? The question itself filled him with distress. He had been raised as a soldier. He never knew anything else. Now Cid was telling him he wanted to retire as a Headmaster, go back to Edea's orphanage and spend the rest of his life beside her and taking care of the orphans, and that he wanted him, Squall Leonhart, soon 18, to fill his place. Claiming he was his only choice, and that nobody else, even amonsgt the older, more mature SeeDs around, could be better than he was.  
  
If Squall accepted the Headmaster's offer, his young life would soon be drowned in responsabilities. The new spark he had experienced in the previous months' events, the excitation, the friendliness, would disappear behind paperwork, public appearances, fancy meetings. No more training until dawn, no more battles and sore muscles. No more teamwork, endless days and nights shared with other SeeDs trying to coordonate their actions and elaborate tactics. He'd lose again.  
  
But if he said no, he'd deceive the whole Garden and all those who fought along with him as the Garden commander and who apparently, or so Cid said, asked for him to be promoted Headmaster. Thinking it would please him. What the fuck did they knew anyway? Calling for him to take over their lives, to show them the way, losing himself along the road but making them all happy.  
  
He hated them. And for a moment, he truly regretted having fought that hard for them, for the whole world.  
  
A soft knocking on the door pulled him out of his angry reverie. "You ready, Squall?"  
  
Rinoa. Another torn. Another pain. Squall took a couple of deep breath before straightening his uniform a last time, quickly checking his handsome reflexion in the mirror one last time and finally heading to join his "girlfriend", who smiled and instantly cuddled against him as soon as he opened the door to her. He tried his best not to stiff when Rinoa threw her arms around his neck and planted tiny kisses on his lips, trying her best not to smear her lipstick on his mouth. Still, he buried his face in her perfumed neck, briefly kissed where her neck met her shoulder, and held her hand to go down the hallway.  
  
  
  
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Seifer smiled at a young girl he had briefly dated two weeks ago and accepted a drink from her. They had passed the field exam together and got caught together by the raising tide while fighting an adamantine on a sand island. They then had been forced to get back swimming to the boat waiting for them, which happily didn't influence their rank and made everyone laugh hard. Lallie, that was the girl's name, had almost succeeded keeping him faithful and happy. But Seifer's heart was not the kind easily smitten, and althought she had been closer to perfection than any of his previous girlfriends, Seifer soon had to leave, rather than lying to her. They were still friends, thought, and still occasionaly lovers, althought that rarely happened. Even if he never talked to Lallie about it, Seifer knew his relationship with the dark-haired, hot-tempred woman helped him realize who he really loved.  
  
The new SeeD's gaze scanned the room, which was now full of uniforms and fancy dresses as the party had been thrown several hours ago. Squall and Rinoa had already disappeared into some dark corners, Selphie was running around the place with Irvine's cowboy hat in her hand, giggling as the cowboy himself ran behind her trying to retrieve his trademark from her grip. Seifer laughed along with Lallie when the happy pair bumped into the Headmaster and melted in embarrassed excuses. As he expected, Quistis hadn't showed up, but nobody seemed worried about it, even though she promised to be back in time.  
  
"You okay, Sei?" Lallie's voice caressed his ear.  
  
"Yeah, I think."  
  
"You think? It's you SeeD ball, Seifer, you've been dreaming about it for so long!"  
  
"I haven't dreamed about it that much, Lal..."  
  
"No?? Stop bullshitting me, Almasy! You kept me wide awake so many nights talking about the day you'd become a SeeD!"  
  
"Yeah...I guess I should have done more than keeping you awake eh?" Seifer chuckled.  
  
"Well...there's still time to make up for it, you know..." His friend's voice grew lustier and a tongue darted to meet the soft cartilage. His eyes closed and he appreciated the shivers of pleasure she sent through him, until he felt his arousal growing into an uncomfortable erection. Seifer moved his ear away from her exquisite instrument and briefly kissed her offered lips.  
  
"I'm sorry, dear, but I really don't feel like it. Tomorrow maybe?"  
  
"Okay," Lallie adorably pouted. "You're leaving now aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, I think I better...you're not angry at me?"  
  
Lallie smiled and pressed another quick peck on his lips. "Not at all. See you tomorrow, maybe?"  
  
"I'll come to your room with dinner tomorrow."  
  
"How sweet."  
  
Seifer handed her his glass to finish and quickly left without a glance for anyone.  
  
  
  
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Done for now, the flu viruses are having a party in my head and I'm not sure I know how to type anymore. Thanks for encouraging reviews!  
  
The book Seifer is reading in his room is Perfume: The story of a murderer by Patrick Süskind. Good good good book. You'll never think of your sense of smell the same way after reading it! 


	3. Down the hole

What's ahead?: Hetero lemon and probably a bit of yaoi (still have to think about it!)  
  
Pairing: Mainly Quistis/Seifer  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own and I really regret it :)  
  
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Chapter 3: Down the hole  
  
It was a rule at Balamb Garden to always have the day following a SeeD ball off for everyone. Definitely a good thing, Seifer thought as he crossed the path of several hangover students, some of them showing a nice greenish color matching their red eyes. Another very popular Garden rule was to "forget" the curfew rule a ball night. So the students would turn the "secret area" into an alcohol deposit and spend the rest of the night getting thoroughly wasted. At this early hour of the morning, some faculty members were still busy waking up the students who chose to sleep outside on the grass, or more likely passed out drunk while trying to reach their dorm room.  
  
This morning definitely had a post-apocalyptic taste.  
  
Especially in the cafeteria, where Seifer sat alone and bitterly depressed in front of a muffin and a cup of the darker coffee he could find. Around him other greenish people were trying to absorb a bit of solid food, some of them failing miserably and running to the bathroom to empty their stomach. Lallie was apparently one of those, althought her face had nearly returned to snow white when she crashed on the chair in front of him, a glass of water in a hand a a bottle of pills in the other. Her long dark hair only made her face look brighter white, just like she was glowing, radiating her own light. Seifer always felt a great tenderness for her.  
  
"Slept well?" He asked her with a smirk.  
  
"Fuck you...Schnapps is the torn on my side...right after you..."  
  
"So...no dinner in your room?"  
  
"Uhhhhhhhhhhghhh no! Except if you're planning to take the vomit-cleaning 101 class..."  
  
"Aw come on sweetie, I'm trying to eat." he motionned to the half-eaten muffin in front of him.  
  
"Thanks Hyne you can eat something!" She claimed, cradling her cute pouty face in her hand, unruly braids falling over her blue eyes, marqued with insomnia. "You either don't look exactly like you had sweet dreams, you know."  
  
"And who are you to judge?"  
  
"Hey at least I had a good reason, you jerk! You went to bed at eleven like a mama's boy!"  
  
"Aw nevermind..." Seifer replied icily. He never told her about Quistis and wasn't about to, even if she was the one and only reason he had just spent one of the shittier night in his whole life. And he sure as hell wasn't going to admit he'd been checking Balamb city's train arrivals all night from his computer terminal, scanning through the travelers' ID searching for her. None of her friends, except Seifer, seemed to remember Quistis held her promises on a very high pedestral, and never missed to honor them ever since childhood. She was one of the most trustable person in the whole world. The fact that she seemed depressed, or so Rinoa said, the day before her departure for FH scared the life out of him. For him FH seemed like the best place to commit suicide. Even worst, FH train station didn't allowed people to check travelers' IDs through the net, which they claimed was an attempt at their privacy.  
  
" 'nyway, I'm gonna head for my room and try to get rid of my pathetic self for a couple hours." Lallie finally said, painfully pulling herself from the chair. "I know you don't give the slightliest fuck to what I say, but I suggest you do the same. G'day, Sei."  
  
"Bye."  
  
He watched Lallie struggle with her balance and disappear at the main entrance. Sighing, he finished his muffin, gulped down his coffee and decided to pay Squall a little visit in his dorm room.  
  
  
  
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Quistis' eyes slowly opened, only meeting the deepest darkness. The place smelled like urine and humidity. At first she thought she'd been locked inside a closet, of a small basement, and instinctively reached for the nearest wall, realizing her hands were now securely tied in her back. Her legs, however, were free but so sore she could barely move them, yet she managed to move to a kneeling position, head spinning from general weakness and panic. A tiny spark of light sweeping from below her cheeks taught her she was not in a dark room, but blinfolded by a raw, scratchy material which was irritating her sensitive skin at the point of making the ithcing unbearable. The rope around her wrists was no gentlier. She could feel dried blood in her hands and scabs on her skins, showing without any doubts she had fought her agressors, althought she didn't have the faintest memories of what brought her in that unhappy position.  
  
Something beside her moved and slightly brushed her naked thight, drawing a surprised groan from her raw throat, immediatly muffled by a smooth, squishy thing stuck in her mouth. She soon learned that the ball-shaped instrument prevented her from trying to form words by sending a weak, yet very painful electric shock in her mouth each time she squished it with her teeth. She had to leave her jaw completely still to prevent the pain.The thing moved again, this time whispering something incoherent while a leg entangled with hers and violently drew her toward what seemed to be another human being - another muted and blinfolded victim, she soon discovered when a final erratic pull sent her crashing down on a female body, a very naked young, slender body that smelled strongly of sweat and mildew but has the comforting heat she craved for. The woman was apparently there for as longer than her, considering she was careful not to make any sound, and familiarly shoved Quistis' head under her, resting her chin against the SeeD's forehead as she did her best to settle their two bodies in a comfortable position. The room fell into silence again, but this time Quistis' mind was clear enough to notice others faint noises, rags scratching the rough material of the floor and whispers coming from all around her. She wondered how many bodies have been thrown down that smelly hole with her, and how many were still alive.  
  
For now, none of her questions could be answered. She was alive, that was the basis. Cradled above the other woman's soft skin, listening to her calm heartbeat, she drifted back to unconscience.  
  
  
  
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Squall groaned at the very persistent knocking at his door. At first he thought he was dreaming and didn't move, then, realizing they were real, he proceeded to play deaf and buried his face in Rinoa's sleep-scented skin. Now five minutes had passed and the little fucker on the other side of the door wouldn't leave him alone in his misery. Finally, the chocolate-haired man angrily threw the covers off his body and grabbed the bathrobe he kept near his bed in of an emergency occuring. He swiftly unlocked the two dead bolt and swung the door open, fighting back the urge to punch Seifer as his concerned face appeared in front of him.  
  
"Almasy, it's seven in the morning and I'm hangover. It means you have exactly thirty seconds to tell me what you have to tell and get lost!"  
  
"Squall, Quistis haven't returned yet."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Hyne, Squall, you know Quistis should be here for the SeeD ball! She never missed one! Rinoa told me she promised to be there, and she haven't showed up!"  
  
Squall's anger rapidly turned to worries. Why hadn't Rinoa told him? She didn't even seemed worried that Quistis was missing. He turned to give an useless angry look at the sleeping form in his bed, his mind quickly organizing a plan, chosing the people who would team, the time they would have to make up a plan, where to look...  
  
"Hey!" Seifer's call snapped him out of his trance.  
  
"Sei, have you checked if she took the train for FH in Deling City?"  
  
Seifer loudly slapped his forehead, cursing himself "Shit no! I've checked Balamb station all night, but I totally forgot she was supposed to board in Deling Station!"  
  
"Let me get dressed and we'll go to your room check Deling station." Squall said, oblivious of the fact he had a terminal in his own room in his hurry to get away from Rinoa before he slaps her.  
  
  
  
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Deling City being the world's second biggest city right after Esthar City, the travelers' data contained more than two million peoples per day. Seeking for Quistis in that human tide was litterally searching for a specific girl in Irvine's telephone book. Still, Seifer and Squall spent the following five hours checking each traveler's data, even the male ones in case an error occured. Seifer groaned, rubbing the back of his sore neck, and thanked Squall for the steaming cup of coffee he handed him. Squall let his body crash down on the bed, his tortured back refusing to take any more movements. The light coming from the only window of the room dicated noon, and they'd been litterally feeding on coffee.  
  
"No Quis..." Seifer murmured, eyes still locked on the computer screen. "Where on earth have she gone? We've checked the whole week...she really did look depressed?"  
  
"Well I couldn't tell back then...we were both very sick when we ended up in Deling City. But I remember she told me once she felt empty. I thought it was...well you know, we've been so close, all of us, for the time of the Ultimecia war. I thought in a way she missed it. And you know how she is, always running from a place to another, never stopping even for a meal...it was hard to her to pass from war to a hospital bed."  
  
"Is it true she lost her teaching position just before the Ultimecia thing?"  
  
"Yeah, that's true. She was very upset about it too. Damn, Seifer, now that I think about it, we shouldn't have let her go...we should have dragged her back to Garden."  
  
"It's too late for regrets okay? We still don't know where she s and that means she could be anywhere, and alive."  
  
"I'm gonna go to Headmaster Cid's office and ask fora proper mandatory. I have priority rights on the Ragnarok so it won't be a problem. We're going to head for Deling City tonight and start the investigations."  
  
"Just the two of us?"  
  
"I don't think they're going to allow us a team just to run after a lost SeeD...especially when that SeeD isn't officially missing except in our minds. We're meeting at the front gate at 4 o'clock, sharp."  
  
  
  
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Quistis' empty void of unconscience was roughly pulled out of her reach by one violent kick in her stomach. She instinctively curled up in a tight ball, trying to avoid the other kicks hitting her spine and head, biting hard into the electric ball in her mouth until the constant electric discharges had her almost unconscious. Strong hands then pulled her off the ground while others grabbed her legs and held them bent over her stomach in foetal position. She wasn't the only one moved out of the room: all around her, painful screams of pain and agony bursted from the other bodies. Quistis head the croaking of rusty hinges and then she was in the open air, or so she thought when the delicious smell of rain and wet grass filled her nostrils. She had been litterally living in her own dejections for the past few days, forced to relieve herself in her clothes since she couldn't move nor ask for help, and the horrible smell in the room had grown to utterly unbearable.  
  
More than once she had wished to die, but Quistis was a fighter, and a survivor of the Ultimecia battle. Her sense of survival was way to strong to allow her to give up. That, and the fact she had been litterally fed off a pipe pushed down her throat once per day, preventing. The feeding moment was the most painful of the day, the moment they had their electric ball removed from their mouth. Useless pleas of mercy and cries of pure terror and despair would fill the room for the following ten minutes, then the silence again, and the waiting. The girl beside her when she first woke up, the one who pulled her against her naked body, had died the day before, probably catching a lung infection from the cold ground and general weakness. Her breathing, in her last moments, sounded like an horrible rattle, an she kept convulsing in her agony so her whole body was soon pushed on top of Quistis. Their "feeders" had briefly commented her "funny" way of breathing and laughed at her "grimaces", but made no move to help her, leaving her alone in her darkness to die a slow, painful death.  
  
Quistis apparently had escaped that fate, althought she was still fully at their mercy and not habving a clue what would happen next. But, she figured, she'd already be dead if it was their first intention.  
  
Much to her surprise, the next stop was a huge bathtub where herself and the other survivors were plounged. While a strong pair of masculine hands soaked her hair in the liquid, others were busy cutting off the clothes from her body with a sharp object, carefully removing them from her irritated skin. Then something cutted through the rope that held her wrists and her arms fell down, lifeless, reopening the wounds and sending sharp spikes of pain through her muscles. The ball was removed from her mouth, the time to brush her teeth and rince the blood and drool from her lips and face. Her whole body was thoroughly soaped and scrubbed, her hair washed three times, her finger and toe nails cutted. Finally removed from the tub, a warm towel was wrapped around her trembling frame while a brush was roughly passed throught her hair, painfully working on the huge knots. her hair was then pulled into a thick ponytail and a smooth dress passed over her naked body. Quistis tried to speak, to put in words the hundredquestions spinning through her head, but her voice was nothing but an inaudible croaking barely escaping her sore throat. For now, silence was the only thing left for her.  
  
A callused hand seized her in a grip that allowed no hesitation. Quistis stood up and immediatly fell back, her legs too weak to support herself. Someone went behind her and held her waist, pushing her back on her feet.  
  
"Brandon!" A female voice yelled. The body behind her stiffened.  
  
"Yes madam?" The voice rumbled against her back.  
  
"I've seen twelve corpse being transported out of the transition house. I thought I already told you your Mistress wanted them in good condition, and you're giving me dead bodies! I'm not going to take the blame you know, and you'll be the one in trouble is that happens again!"  
  
"Yes madam, I'm sorry madam."  
  
"Where is that one coming from?"  
  
"Deling City, madam. Lord Oran said she will be very useful."  
  
"If Lord Oran said it...bring her to my house. Make sure she's tied back, eh?"  
  
"Yes madam."  
  
The footsteps faded.  
  
"Bitch." The man hissed behind her. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE LEAVING??" Cid's voice bursted through the wooden doors and the secretary, sitting outside behind a small desk, stopped typing the report she was working on and listened.  
  
"We believe it's an emergency, mister."  
  
"We? We're only talking of you and Seifer. Squall, you're going to be responsible of this Garden, you' can't get lost in any minor issue like it was the most important thing in the world!"  
  
"Minor?? But mister, Quistis Trepe is missing!"  
  
"Or so you say! She's not even 24 hours late. I think you're over-reacting here. I'm gonna give the order for a rescue team to leave if she is still not back in, say, two days, starting right now."  
  
"But Mister, I'm willing to leave right now. I-"  
  
"But you can't leave, Squall, isn't it clear enough? The Garden needs you right now and you're not going anywhere. Understand me, Squall, I'm doing it for you. As a headmaster, you'll have to decide what is a priority and what have to wait."  
  
A crimson veil passed in front of Squall's vision. For a moment, he really considered stabbing the old man with his own letter-opener, or at least choke the bastard until he passed out. He had to clench and un-clench his fists a couple times before finding the strenght to keep his voice neutral as he asked:  
  
"And what if I chose not to follow your order?"  
  
Squall swore he had seen the exact moment the headmaster's eyes passed from stupidly compassionnate to death-wishing-cold.  
  
"Refusing to follow a superior's order means trouble, Squall, and eventually an expelling order."  
  
Squall's breath caught and all the blood in his body seemed to go up to his head causing a thunderous roar in his ears.  
  
"I'll have to be hard on you Squall. You'll have to learn. And if it takes threats to put you in the right path, I'll do it."  
  
"Thanks, mister." Squall's icy responsy cut throught the thick air. Careful to hide the newfound disgust he felt for his headmaster, the man he nearly considered a father through his studying years, Squall turned his back to him and walked out the door, hands clasped behind his back stained with droplets of blood.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Seifer threw the last of his bag on his bed and sighed. Everything was in order, he was ready. Five minutes ago he had received the visit of a dearly concerned Rinoa looking for Squall who, she said, "fled off the room before she even had the time to wake up." Seifer innocently said he had seen Squall earlier in the cafeteria and let her resume the search of her lover. Seifer sighed and opened the computer's screen to check, one last time, the arrivals at Balamb Train Station. He was not surprised to see Quistis was not amongst the travelers. Sighing, he flipped the screen shut and rested his head in his hands, suddenly very, very tired.  
  
Squall bursted in the room, slamming the door shut behind him and kicking the first thing near his feet-in that case, the trash can.  
  
"HEY!" Seifer yelled at the flying tissues around the room.  
  
"Cid's not gonna let me go. And he refuses to let a team go after Quistis before her disappearance is official, which means two more days."  
  
"WHÂ??"  
  
"Whââââ??" Squall sarcasticly repeated. "That means we can't go, Mr. Brain."  
  
"Cid blocked us?"  
  
"Blocked me and any team order. Even threatened to expel me."  
  
"So...I'll have to leave alone?"  
  
Squall sighed. "The order is for me and for you, Seifer, you can't leave either."  
  
"Yes I can."  
  
Seifer stood up and went to his wardrobe, pulled his uniform out and handed it to Squall. "You see the star on the right shoulder?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Ever heard of the Blue SeeDs?"  
  
"....You mean you graduated as a Blue SeeD???"  
  
"Squall, Hyne, why do you think I had such improvement in my school grades I eventually got a fucking medal? Why do you think they let me pass the SeeD test only two months after being re-admitted, when the Garden's law only allow it after six months?"  
  
"I was kinda away, Seifer. And Kinda near-dead."  
  
"Ok ok sorry."  
  
"But how exactly far you think you can go without breaking you SeeD pledge?"  
  
"Blue SeeDs are authorized to go to whatever mission they want, whenever they want, as long as they don't interfere with the designed leader. They are authorized to "enable" a mission on their own will, but they are required to go alone and to send a full report every three days. If the situation is serious enough, Garden will send a team but otherwise, the Blue SeeD is alone. We're considered as the highest-ranked SeeDs beside Lieutenant and Commander ranks. Most SeeDs call us watchdogs. We're watching dangerous situation until they necessite Garden's help."  
  
"Shit Seifer, have you learned the whole book?"  
  
"I...I'm proud of being a watchdog," Seifer replied, blushing a bit. "rather than a lapdog."  
  
"Well, watchdog, I guess I have no choice but to let you go alone. I'll have to deal with that Cid bastard one day or another, better be soon."  
  
"Oh, and Rinny was looking for you, said you ditched her while she was sleeping..."  
  
"Fuck...."  
  
"Go cope with your girlfriend, I'll go cope with the train tickets and stuff. I'll call you before leaving. And...you'll receive my report before the bastard. Promise."  
  
"Thanks, Seifer. And, RINOA IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"  
  
Seifer frowned "No?"  
  
"If I have a couple free days left, I'll tell you the whole story. Until then...just believe me okay?"  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Author's note: The Garden's alcohol consumption is purely fictive and in no way inspired by the writer's abuses althought she does have a way too soft spot for apricot brandy. Thanks. :)  
  
Quistis88: I swear he'll be faithful to Quistis but eh, I can't monitor all he's doing when I'm not here to lead him! ^_^ 


	4. Time

What's ahead?: Hetero love (yep! decided to keep the lemon for my next fic, where it fits better!), cussing, bloody blood, and a bit a yaoi (finally made my mind!)  
  
Pairing: Mainly Quistis/Seifer  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own and I really regret it :)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 4: Time  
  
Seifer sighed, crashing his aching body down a stair in Deling City's train station. Morning had caught him sleeping a few meters from there, on the grassy area near the train dock. Much to his surprise, he had simply dozed off after sitting there for a while, the night before, waiting for his tired feet to get less swollen and resume his investigations of the place. When he had woken up, the sun was high in the sky, indicating he had probably spent the last twleve hours rolling over in the grass. And he was covered in the pennies people had thrown at him, thinking he was a poor homeless drunk dozing off his numerous cheap beers. Seifer sneered a bit then picked up the money, throwing it in his pockets. Might be useful to fill his starved stomach a bit. Since he had found the first trace of Quistis, two days ago, he hadn't allowed his body to rest, not a single minute, until he found himself sprawled in the muddy- grassy area this morning.  
  
Slowly, Seifer stretched his sore body, then creaked his neck and back. He felt sick, and certainly dirty. He knew he smelled awful and would soon have to find a hole to wash out and buy new clothes before people begin to see him as just another lost drunk and stop answering his questions.  
  
"At least, I know you were here, Trepe..." He mumbled to himself, scratching a bruise on his left arm. The morning before, a very classy-looking middle aged lady told him she had seen Quistis about six days ago. According to her, the former instructor have been sitting in that very station, early in the morning, and was reading a book while she seemed to wait for her train. She told him she was aboslutely certain it was Quistis and no-one else. She had her pure honey-blonde hair combed exactly the same way she used to have in her instructor days, and wore an outfit Seifer knew she owned. Now he knew Quistis have been there, but hadn't boarded the train, since her name wasn't in the station's database. Thanks to the lady's interest in fashion, he finally had a path to lead on. A tiny one, but better than nothing.  
  
He sighed wearily. A very loud noise rang throught his ear when the train bonded for Balamb screeched his way out of Deling City. For the countless time, Seifer thought about going back to his home. He was so tired. So desperate. After he called Squall, right after waking up, the sheer ridiculousness of his situation hit him. Here he was, a newly promoted blue SeeD ready for action, and soaking his clothes in the dirt and rain, waiting for the miracle that would tell him where Quistis was. Hilarious. SO fucking hilarious.  
  
Squall had been a little comfort in his day. The boy was still trapped in Garden, and kept under tight control by a very worried Cid. The former Hero was highly pissed at the situation, and ready to kill Rinoa who had proceeded to announce the whole place that Squall and herself were madly in love and going to marry someday. Squall was now flooded with best wishes and dirty jokes. Seifer promised he would help him bury the body as soon as he was back at Balamb and hung up, ready to resume the investigation.  
  
That's when the boy caught up his attention.  
  
He was very young. Maybe thirteen years old, and certainly not over fifteen. His head was shaved to the skin, and showing a nasty reddened scar that separated in three distinct branches. The traces of stitches, big stitches, still laid across the swollen skin. He had huge grey eyes which ate half of his face, and a little pink cherub mouth he constantly licked over, nervously. His hands were folded in the pockets of a huge green oat, obviously not made for him, and swearing with the disgusting dirty brown baggy pants that licked over his feet to the ground, soaked with all the shit it swept. That boy was simply pityful. But, Seifer noticed, he wasn't begging around the place for money, like most other street kids did. Nor did he wandered around the shops in hope of stealing stuff. He simply walked back and forth, stopping from times to times to fix a very intense gaze on random travelers. He didn't seem to follow a special pattern.  
  
Seifer eyed him between two sips of the coffee he had just bought from a tiny shop, along with a muffin. His own dirty clothes seemed to protect him from the boy's insistant stare: He only had eyes for the well-dressed travelers that periodically gathered around the trains. Althought they didn't even noticed him when he eyed them.  
  
Pouring danger. Althought normal eyes maybe wouldn't notice it.  
  
Seifer shrugged his coat off his body, gathering the smelly material over his right arm. The sun was getting hot and it would be nothing but an annoyment while he stalked the badl kid. He only wore a no-longer-white tight shirt under it. He was surprised to see brownish marks all over the worn out white. Dried blood? Touching over the fabric, Seifer winced in pain and realized he had probably been sleeping in grass, mud, pennies AND broken bottles. there was probably glass shards embedded all over him now.  
  
At least it helped not to blow his identity this time, as the first flow of travelers crashed down the main stairway and used the insane amount of stressed people to make his way toward the suspicious young character. He was still walking his little way through the crowd. His already huge eyes stared without blinking. He seemed very busy.  
  
Then he vanished.  
  
Seifer was pretty sure he had been there a second before. He had seen the bald scarred head popping out of the crowd once, twice, then nothing. Swallowed by the Earth, the air. something.  
  
Seifer snarled in rage. This boy has to be the most suspicious character he had ever seen. And he was a few meters away from the place Quistis have been seen for the last time. It has to be linked somewhere. Seifer ran to the nearest public phone and snatched it so quickly he almost ripped it off the wall. Then composed Squall's number, hoping he was not mindlessly making out with Rinoa, phone unplugged.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
*flashback*  
  
Quistis opened her eyes, blinking slowly at the painful light directed to her face. All she could see what that huge lightbulb tearing apart her eyeballs but she knew someone was behind it, as a rough hand pressed to the side of her neck, then grabbed her wrist, a tumb pressed to her pulse.  
  
I am alive...  
  
She couldn't believe she actually survived Time Compression. Her last memory before the unconscience was falling directly into a huge black hole. Swirling with greyish lights. She could remember how calm she had felt when she jumped from the cliff down the hole.  
  
How on Earth could she have missed? Why?  
  
No reasons found. She had lost sight of everyone during time compression. She thought everything was gone, nothing mattered anymore. Not that things had mattered that much lately.  
  
It happened just after she had lost her license, the night of the SeeD ball. Quistis had never really thought about her life away from teaching. She was a totally dedicated, hard-working educator. She had no life outside of it, every minute of her life was melted into the Instructor Trepe character. Outside of it, there was nothing left. Nothing.  
  
Losing her teaching position, losing Squall to Rinoa, losing Seifer to a Sorceress...  
  
What was left for her? Nothing. And now the world was back around her, and she had missed her only chance to disappear quietly and never be found. Silently, she cursed herself for chosing the hole. She could have slit her throat open with a knife and it would have been all over. But feared the contact of the cold blade on her. Feared the pain, the feeling of having her life removed from her body drop by drop. She had chose the coward way and now was her punishment.  
  
Having to start all over again.  
  
The person's voice-a deep, virile voice betraying a mature age-asked her if she was okay, and she nodded, sniffing back a desperate sob. A large, callused hand brushed her forehead, searching for fever, and pushed at her lower jaw to check her tongue before shoving a thermometer almost down her throat. Quistis whimpered and tried to squirm her way out of the man's reach, but the bed was little a framed by high wooden borders. Besides, she was litterally covered in painful bruises and cuts, which would crack open and bleed at her every movements. The man pushed the lamp away from her face, revealing the sight of a large, modern hospital room with deep blue walls and a single, huge window pouring sunlight in every corner of the room. The place strongly smelled of disinfectant, with a hint of roses. A bunch of them was piled up on the bedside table, and a bigger bunch near the open window. Roses of all size, all colours, slowly dying in their pots and giving off their last breath into a sweet perfume. Sweet sad perfume.  
  
"Okay?" She heard the man's voice finish his sentence but didn't caught anything from it except that last word.  
  
"Pardon me?" She mumbled past the thermometer, not even recognizing her own voice. Raspy, almost inaudible.  
  
The man sighed. "I was just telling you who I am and why you are there. Nothing important, really."  
  
She appreciated the sarcasm, the annoyed tone. For the first time she looked at him with a faint interest. He was around his fifties, a bit overweight, balding on his forehead. The rest of his head was covered in thin silver hair, ruffled and pointing in all directions. His sympathetic face, marked by two round and red cheeks, was almost hidden behind thick glasses, black-circled and apparently pretty heavy since he had to push them up his nose bridge every 5 seconds or so. The man responded to her shy smile, and pulled the thermometer out of her mouth, distantly checking it before setting it in his shirt pocket. He then helped her to sit up and gathered pillows behind her back. Quistis felt the pain of the countless wounds on her body screaming as she stretched them. As much as she tried to bear with it, a painful yelp escaped her sore throat. The man instantly put a hand on her arm and she felt a familiar feeling, of energy and strenght mixed together, and sent spinning through her veins like a running chocobo. It felt good, really good. Curaga.  
  
"Thanks" She murmured.  
  
"You're welcome." He quickly answered. "As I said earlier in your deaf ear, my name is Shiron Delves. I am the responsble doctor of this floor of Deling City hospital. You have been brought here three weeks ago and immediatly put in artificial rest dues to the severity of your state."  
  
"Three weeks??" She yelped, not believing it a single bit.  
  
"Hard to believe eh? Your wounds have been Hell and beyond to heal. Even with Curaga, they kept coming back, we had to transfuse blood in your body four times. Apparently it's a side effect of the time compression. Your body kept coming back and forth from its wounded state to the healed one. I've never seen anything like that in thirty years of practicing. The scariest thing on Earth, I tell you..."  
  
The doctor stopped talking a for a short while, frowning at the memories of the unconscious woman bleeding herself to death, eyes glazy and emotionless.  
  
"Anyway," he finally resumed. "Your mates are on this floor too, and they've been waiting to see you for days, shall I go get them now?"  
  
"My mates?" Quistis asked, puzzled. "Who do you mean?"  
  
"Well, there's the new world hero, Squall Leonhart, and his girlfriend Rinoa Heartilly...some others were sent here for a couple of days, just to make sure Time Compression was finally out of their systems, but they've been sent back to your Garden very quickly. So, do you wish to see them?"  
  
Quistis caughed, and quickly accepted the glass of water Shiron handed her. Gulping it, she motionned at the roses.  
  
"Who are they from?" She asked when she had finished the glass.  
  
"From you Balamb friends, and the Headmaster...and his wife, the former sorceress Edea. But you're not going to change the subject you know."  
  
The young woman sighed. "Okay, I do not wish to see them right now. I do not wish to see anyone, in fact. I'd like to regain my senses alone. And I'm hungry. I'd wish to make a human back of myself before..."  
  
"Hey, no problem. I understand. I'll have food delivered to your room in, say, fifteen minutes. Nothing too hard to digest for now. Soup and ice cream. Sounds good?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Great, because you had no choice anyway." The pratician winked at her, and was pleased to hear her laugh, just for a second, very lightly, but laugh. "I'll check on you tomorrow, the nurse is going to come and give you a nice bath later tonight. You have the buzzer if anything's wrong. Okay?"  
  
"Okay..." She whispered.  
  
"Good."  
  
With that, he was out and the door clicked behind him. Leaving her alone, in her misery. For a short while Quistis thought about ripping all those damned needles and tubes out of her body and hang herself with them. Then she noticed the tiny switch attached at the end of each tube, and the little red lights, currently off, above each switch. The alarm that would wake the whole nurse quarter up if she dared to take anything off. She cursed loughly and crashed down to her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling through teary eyes. How she had wished never to wake up. How she wanted to escape right now, before anyone from her past could see her and pull her forward in the present. How she wanted it all to end.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Squall crashed the phone back on its receipt and swore. Swore again. Swore another time. And again. Finally let out a full chapter of very graphic words which seemed to free his mind a bit and made him feel incredibly light. Until he noticed Zell's wide-eyes stare and Rinoa's hand which seconds before held a mug of coffee, which was now shattered on the floor. Zell instantly ran for a towel and a sweeper to clean the glass mess before someone gets hurt, but Rinoa seemed lost forever in shock. Not that Squall minded, actually, it was the least of his problem.  
  
Zell moved the sweeper over the wet area on the floor and gathered the remains of the mug in a little pile. He then threw the rags he had found in the kitchen over the puddle on the floor and started cleaning it, unaware of Squall and Rinoa having a staring contest above him. Squall growled low in his throat as he grabbed the papers on the table-Seifer's first report after having found out that Quistis has reall been in Deling City's Train station, and the added papers about the suspicious boy which he thought may have been linked to her disappearance. With that, Squall had thought he would be able to draw Cid's attention and get the needed help. But Cid still wasn't convinced at all, althought he had promised to help if Quistis wasn't back after a couple of days. Apparently Seifer's decision to use his blue SeeD rank just a couple hours before receiving it had somewhat irritated the Headmaster, and he was now absolutely stuck in the idea he had been messed with. So no SeeDs. And no release from his death grip for Squall. He still wasn't allowed to fly to Deling City and help Seifer. He still had been served the same threat. Expelled from Garden. Restricting order against him if he would ever try to set a foot back to Garden. No referral letters from Garden to help him find a new job, even thought he devoted the biggest part of his life to this place, saved the world in it's name and ended up in pain in a hospital in Deling City. Cid, you fucking...  
  
"What on Earth did the Headmaster said?" Rinoa's soft voice called.  
  
"What on Earth do you think the old bastard said? Nothing can be done. I'm out of here."  
  
Squall quickly crossed the short distance to the door and left, making sure the door crashed behind him with a sound that would have woken up Hyne himself. Rinoa stared blankly at the door, mouth open in a perfect O. Zell cursed loudly while standing up, and threw the dirty rag on Rinoa's laps, which still went unnoticed, the young sorceress apparently frozen in her surprised state. Without a word to her, he followed his High Commander. The door crashed again.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
It`s not that I got lazy, I swear, but having to wake up at 5 am each morning to go to work until 4 pm isn't good for inspiration. BUT! Here comes a whole week of vacations, and I am going to seriously work on this fic and my other, Dragonfly. And that lil idea that popped out of my mind lately might come to life...we`ll see! Thanks for reading and * reviewiewing * people! (hint hint!) lol hey I'm human too! 


	5. The boy

What's ahead?: Hetero love (yep! decided to keep the lemon for my next fic, where it fits better!), cussing, bloody blood, and a bit a yaoi (finally made my mind!). And yes, the rating went down. PG-13, no trauma for anyone! ~_^  
  
Pairing: Mainly Quistis/Seifer  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own and I really regret it :)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Chapter 5: The boy  
  
  
  
The high-pitched whistling announced the train's imminent departure. Allen crashed his sore body hard on the steel bench and crossed his ankle over his knee, bringing to his nostrils the foul odor emanating from his dirty pants. Grimacing, he brought his crossed leg down to the ground. Trickles of sweat fell from his bare skull and down his cheek, just like tears. Allen licked the salty liquid from the corner of his mouth, unaware of the few people who were giving him dirty glares, frowning at his stench, or maybe at his careless, almost drugged expression. More probably at the ugly half-healed scar on the right side of his shaven head. Stitches have been useless to close the open gash after his operation. The wound would keep reopening as soon as the stitches were removed. The borders of the cutted skin were raw, a nasty dark purple color. Mom had to put little steel hooks inside the flesh to keep it together. And, seeing it wouldn't keep the blood from seeping out, she had used special plastic liquid and sealed it in a transluscent but solid grasp. Hard as glass.  
  
It was an accident. It wouldn't happen again, mom said. Allen knew she felt bad about his wound. He knew it because since it happened, she would avoid looking at the scar. She would look at him directly in the eyes, those huge, gray eyes sprinkled with green snow, surrounded by dark eyelashes and crowned with perfect arched eyebrows. She said he looked a lot like his father, an obscure character from her past life who supposedly died protecting someone very important. Mom talked about him like a great hero, someone people would remind for decades. But she would never say his name. And as much as he tried to find that great hero, spending days and days in Deling City's Royal Library buried in history books, scanning thousands of pictures searching for a resemblance with him, he never found. And he finally gave up trying.  
  
He supposedly died when Allen was six. He had no memories of this time. The oldest image he could conjure was waking up in Deling City's hospital, three months ago, with the worst headache and plastic tube connected to every inches of flesh. He had panicked and almost tore open his left arm trying to dislodge the needles. Allen feared needles more than he feared his own death. Any sharp objects presented before him, even a fork, would drive insane shivers up and down his spine. He ate all his meals with a spoon, of with his fingers when it was solid.  
  
Mom said he fell down the pier while she was collecting small monsters and items on the shore besides. Probably stumbled on something. The tide was low, and he had crushed his skull on the rocks down the pier. A sharp piece of rock was driven through the bone by the impact, and tore a part of his brain. That's how he lost the memories of his own life. He could have died on the spot, but he has been lucky.  
  
Mom lived alone. No other man had touched her since his father, and she intended to keep it that way. Allen was her only man, she claimed to everyone. It was a lot of responsabilities on his young shoulders. He knew he would always have to follow the way after her. To confort her the nights when she wasn't sure of the meaning of what she was doing anymore. Calm her insecurities before thinking about his own. But she listened to him like she would listen to a thinking adult, and smiled at him, a smile that meant a whole speech. Their bound could not be broken.  
  
Allen distractly played with the ring he wore on his right ringfinger. It was a jewel, carved with abstract form which, mom told him, were a very ancient form of writing that her own ancestors used, many centuries ago. The ring had a dark green cabochon attached to it, and carved with the form of a Phoenix, the symbol of rebirth. The artistic work done on the jewel was near perfection. When looking close, you could see each one of the bird's feathers had been carved to look just like the real thing. with perfect lines. But you had to watch real close...  
  
The boy snapped out of his contemplation of the stone when he heard a light chuckle in front of him. pushing the ring away from his eye, he directed his displeased glare directly to the source of the noise, a very young girl sitting by her mother almost directly in front of him. Cute. Maybe five years-old, long blonde locks, piercing green eyes. She had an arrogant smile plastered all over her face as she watched him watch her. She stuck a little pink tongue out and made weird sounds, spitting all over her lap. Allen sneered at her, fighting the urge to throw a fist in the middle of her insolent face. Just as he felt the anger rise inside him, he noticed the slight aura.  
  
Slight. Not much of an aura, actually. More of a baby nightlight aura. A bit of training could make it stronger, and she was young, very young, easy...putting the moves on her would be risky, with her mother near her. But he hadn't found anyone this day. Mom would be deceived.  
  
Allen stood up carefully, keeping an unsure balance as the train rocked form side to side. He eyed the young girl once, twice, until he saw her eyes get a little glazy. He then slowly walked to the next wagon. He heard the faint noise of brushing clothes, and the voice of her mother asking where she was going.  
  
"Pee-room" She answered, giggling at the dirty word.  
  
The train passed a rail point and headed south, to Timber. A few minutes afterwards, the girl's mother called for people's help in order to find her daughter, who disappeared ten minutes ago. But she was already away, docily following Allen, her tiny hand clasped in his.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I know this chapter is pretty damned short, but I wanted Allen to have a full chappy just for him. Ain't I nice? 


	6. Maybe a light

Warning: There's gonna be lot of pain in this chapter. Not the psychological one, the physical one. Scream while you still can ~_^  
  
  
  
Chapter 6: Maybe a light...  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"What are you doing here, Quistis?" Came Rinoa's quiet, whispering voice from the couch beside the bed. She sounded more sleepy than irritated, but Quistis could tell she wasn't very happy to have her entering their own little universe. Quistis sighed and braced herself against the doorway, arms crossed.  
  
"I thought I could have a little chat with Squall...about time compression...and quite a few things..."  
  
"Quistis, it's almost midnight..."  
  
Yes, Quistis thought, and if you knew Squall, you would know he's always reading until midnight.  
  
"Don't you have your own room, Rinoa? Why do you keep sleeping in his? He's not in danger anymore. We're going to be released in a week and a half."  
  
"We are?" She murmured. "Who told you?"  
  
"Doctor Delves visited me today."  
  
"Doctor Delves? That creepy man with the huge glasses?"  
  
"He's not creepy, he's actually quite friendly, if you could take the time to leave this room and have a chat with him, you would know."  
  
"Ugh..." Rinoa snorted. "So, why were you there?"  
  
Quistis' cheeks reddened with sudden anger, as she fought back the urge to slap Rinoa senseless. During the Ultimecia thing, she had been able to see the young sorceress for what she really was - A fragile, deeply romantic young woman who craved love and a honest relationship to make out for her sad childhood, her dead mother, her fucked-up father. She had seen her searching for ideals throught Timber resistance, then war against the sorceress, and finally through love.  
  
A very suffocating love. Glowing in her eyes everytime she met hers. Something that looked like a total abandon to the power of her feelings toward the man who saved her.  
  
Something that looked like madness.  
  
But Quistis kept quiet. She didn't repeat the reason why she was there, knowing Rinoa only pretended to forget in order to piss her off and drive her out of their intimacy. Squall sleeping soundly, his head cocked to the side, mouth slightly open exhaling a steady, comforting breath.  
  
How Quistis envied Rinoa. Crazy or not, she had the soft body of a wonderful, courageous man to comfort her when she drifted off to sleep. Quistis' beed was cold and silent. Resonations of her empty soul.  
  
"Quistis?" Rinoa's soft voice pierced throught her fog of sadness.  
  
Sighing, Quistis turned heels and left the room, closing the door behind her. The empty corridors of the hospital greeted her with echoes. She wasn't usually allowed to leave her room past sunset, but, with Dr. Delves' help, she could usually walk around whenever she wanted. He even had a set of keys made for her, so she could wander freely through the floor where she, Squall and Rinoa were kept. And she eagerly used the tiny bit of freedom that was so generously given to her.  
  
Quistis walked to the tiny kitchen of the department and briefly rummaged in the fridge, pulling out a bottle of grape juice and a muffin. She then reached to the open window, letting the cold night wind ruffle through her undone hair, and the scent, the sweet scent, something like wet leaves and sleeping flowers, and liberty. Yes, exactly. It smelled like running away. She wished she could open that window wide, let all the wind of Gaia engulf inside and float out on them.  
  
But the window was solidly bolted, only allowing the glass to open to a quarter of it's possibility. So, instead, Quistis pulled a chair under the draft, where she could feel each wave of freedom wash over her. Uncapping the bottle of juice, she took a deep gulp and closed her eyes as the last remnants of the taste lingered on her tongue.  
  
Everything tasted bitter to her anyway.  
  
Fly away.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Quistis woke up screaming, an almost unbearable pain shot through her right leg. The large needle, almost the size of a pencil, retreated from the wound only to be shoved back once again in her thight. She screamed again, unable to hold back the pain as her SeeD training taught her to. The voice, definitely a feminine one, ordered her once again to keep her damn mouth shut and to stay still while they finished the experiements.  
  
Experiment. She had been snatched away from her life only to become a laboratory rat.  
  
Out of the fog she had been floating in, Quistis recognized a few of the medical apparatuses she had been connected to in Deling City hospital. One checked her pulse with a beeping sound, another one checked her blood pressure. The third one, she didn't recognized, seemed to follow her moods. Each time the twitch of the needle inside her made her shudder with agony, the long white line would jump and a high-pitched beep would rip her ears. A pain reader? Connected where?  
  
A loud scream again, as the needle was slid off her again, brought to a new spot marked with a red X up her waist, just beside her hipbone, and dove through the new flesh. Again, the loud beep. Quistis' head turned away from the newly opened wound, to stare at the wall.  
  
Where she met a mess of wires, plugs, and a huge mirror where her foggy eyes widened as they met a shaven head. And a wire stuck against her bare skull.  
  
Stuck? Rather plunged into...  
  
She loudly gasped, for once oblivious of the pain. Beside her, the white line jumped in unison with her thought and cried for her. Beep.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
The room was plounged in darkness when Zell pushed the door open and peeked inside, searching for his friend and commander. It was also completely silent, excepted for the soft sound of an electric device humming in the background. Zell swore under his breath when an unidentified object stuck his leg, almost making him fall over. The place seemed to be in a mess, another sign of Squall's bad shape. The commander was always as clean and tidy as a (*...touver comparaison), which was near obsession. And he usually forced his squad to do the same. Zell remembered how annoying it was, while in mission, to have the commander checking the luggages and hotel rooms to make sure anything was neaty neat. Considering the commander had only been back for two days, the horrible messy state brough even more worries into the martial artist's mind.  
  
Crossing small SeeD bed and the half-empty bookcase (the most of it's content laying on the floor in front of it), Zell made his way to the bathroom door, one of the greatest privilege of being a commander, and a blessing for the very prude Squall. The lights were out there too, and the door closed yet very slightly parted. The sound of a shallow human breathing.  
  
Shivering with anticipation he finally pushed the bathroom door open, pausing for his eyes to get accustomed to the surrounding darkness before searching for the brunette.  
  
The body of the High Commander had apparently crashed boneless between the toilet and the bathtub, and stood there, in a half-sitting, half-fetal position, with his head slightly turned in the tub's direction so he could hide his face away from the intruder. Sun rays filtered throught the closed curtains to gently brush his cheeks. His loud breathing was the only sign of his emotional state. Zell's hands clenched into fists as he finally gathered the courage to face him. Squall didn't move, didn't speak, didn't even breathed, as Zell heard his air intake stopping when he sat down in front of him, his back pressed to the tub and legs sprawled in front of him. Silent as he was, but pressing his questionning gaze all over Squall's collapsed form.  
  
It took a few minute for the Commander's gaze to lift and meet Zell's curious gaze. A hundreds interrogations swirled in the martial artist's mind but for once, he couldn't get his blabber mouth to just open and ask. He couldn't. He feared Squall would break if he talked. He couldn't remember seeing his that furious. Furious enough to show it, to crash a door, to walk away and hide in a dark room. What could be next? Squall throwing stuff? Squall yelling out an open window? Squall getting into a fight with him?  
  
Squall crying?  
  
The thought hit Zell as he noticed the first drop sliding down Squall's cheek. A single tear. Squall's face stayed of thick ice, not even moving to sweep the embarrassing proof of his fragility. Zell fought the urgency to let his very open emotions show off. He wanted nothing more than grab his friend and crush him in a long, warm embrace, the one that help healing the mind's wounds. But Squall wasn't like that. The Squall Zell had learned to respect and love was the kind who would merge with his pain and take it so deep within himself that it would be forever impossible to extract it. So Zell just sat there, following the drop of sadness until it reached Squall's collar and soaked it.  
  
At that exact moment, Squall's body jerked up from his prostrated position, looking like he had just woken up from a nightmare. It leaped forward, directly on Zell's laps, and strong arms encircled the blonde's shoulders, holding hard against him. Desperation seeped through him, and for once he seemed not to mind about sharing it with his friend-definitely something Zell never thought he would see in this lifetime. Out of reflex, the blonde immediatly held Squall back and let Squall's head rest against his shoulder. He seemed to have problems breathing normally.  
  
"Squall..." Zell whispered in his friend's hair, arms still holding him very close against his chest. He felt the Commander's body so tense he was afraid he might snap and broke in two if he moved. Squall didn't react to the sound of his name and just held in silence. Zell repeated his name, and did not get any more response from him.  
  
Zell decided that for now, it would do. But Squall would have to answer his questions soon, as soon as those warm arms of his would be off his shoulder. Which, he finally thought with a smile as Squall shifted slightly in a more comfortable position in Zell's embrace, could wait as long as possible.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Allen stared at his half-full (or half-empty) plate, spoon in hand. He had just finished building a castle with the daily ton of mashed potatoes his mother fed him. The two towers were a little bit unstables, and the ditch around it, filled with pepper sauce, was beginning to melt, but it was the most beautiful he had done so far.  
  
Satisfied with his latest creation, the young boy pulled a small pickle out of the jar, and planted it in one of the towers' higher window. Like it was waiting for the prince's great apprearance. Allen then turned his attention to the army of boiled carrots parked in front of the castle's gates, some of them riding a piece of turnip, but most of them on foot. In the middle of the army, the prince, a magnificent fried sausage, eagerly drank the sight of his longtime love and future wife.  
  
"Stop playing with your food, Allen, you're thirteen, for Hyne's sake!"  
  
Mom's voice splurt out of the haze of his imagination, as a wooden spoon dive right through the castle, destroying one of the tower, the banquet room, the armory, the King's room, and collapsing half of the market place. The army soon drowned in the flow of watered potatoes, the princess went to hide inside what was left of the castle, and the prince ran away.  
  
Deceived by the coward he had chosen as a prince, Allen snatched it from amongst the dead soldiers and quickly swallowed it.  
  
"Not hungry anymore, Moogle?" His mother asked, hand slightly touched her son's shoulder. He felt himself wince in annoyance at her mom's use of his childhood nickname-or so she said, since all memories from these times were hopelessly lost.  
  
"It's cold." He mumbled.  
  
"It wouldn't be cold if you stopped playing with it. You're worrying me, sweetheart."  
  
Allen sighed and looked up to meet his mother's concerned gaze. The woman was short and delicate, and looked like she was twenty-five althought she obviously wasn't, since the birth certificate stated she had him at this age. Still, her beauty was absolutely stunning. Her heart-shaped face, milky skin, deep blue eyes framed by naturally thick and dark eyelashes that forbid the use of make-up. Her smooth, feminine forms she tried to hide under looses and dark dresses. When she talked, even him couldn't take his stare away from her full, sexy lips. She was his first love, the overprotective, too dependant woman who made him felt like he was the most precious jewel in the whole world. Allen knew that love had to be like that.  
  
"And I hate when you drift away in the dreamland while I'm talking to you."  
  
The boy snapped out of his mindless admiration and smiled at her, throwing his arms around her slender shoulders, maybe a bit too heavily, because she let out a startled gasp and stumbled in his loving embrace. They held each other for long minutes, over his cold plate. Two souls meant to understand each other but disconnected to the rest of the human kind.  
  
"You saw the little girl?" Allen asked, his face still buried in her sweet- scented hair.  
  
"Yes, I did. This morning. What's her name again?"  
  
"Erin. And?"  
  
"She's gifted, just as you thought. Not a lot, but I should be able to bring it forward with a little practice."  
  
"Is she...doing well?"  
  
"Very well, Moogle. She's doesn't want to remember her past life. She also ask about you to come visit her in her room..."  
  
"I will."  
  
"Not now. I don't want any disturbance over her. She needs calm, and concentration."  
  
"I AM calm and concentrated, mom."  
  
Her rich, deep laugh filled his ears and his heart sang with joy.  
  
"You're also young and late for your work, Moogle. You want something for the night?"  
  
"Nope, I never eat while on duty." He joked, a slight smile crawling on his lips.  
  
"Then shall I drive you to the Train station?"  
  
"Sooner the better."  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
(Meanwhile, behind Allen's house)  
  
The twelve young bald women stopped walking at the sound of the whistle they were accustomed to obey to. The file stood there, in front of the dark wooden wall, shivering in the cool spring air that still smelled like snow from the mountains standing not so far away from the small ranch. They were only dressed in oversized white long-sleeved shirts that matched the pale complexion exhaustion and sadness gave them. In front of them, two men, probably as young as they were, but already growing older from the pain that surrounded their lives, slowly called each name, waiting for the murmured reply. One of them had short dark blonde hair, blue eyes and a beautiful baby-face that held the attention of more than a few women and men around him. His name was Brandon. The other was a tall, long-haired squeleton, with nothing more than bones and flesh that led the others to nickname him "Reaper." That was kind of appropriated, considering the job he had.  
  
Brandon checked the list one last time, before nodding to the man neside him. Reaper nodded back and pulled something from the long black trench coat that partially hid his bony forms. The women gasped when the small silver gun was set in their direction. Brandon snapped his fingers, and Reaper fired.  
  
He had years and years of practice at the service of this ranch. He practically never missed. One bullet for each forehead, sending them quick to the ground, surprise and horror forever carved in their face. The corpses piled at their feet, while the dark wood slowly drank the splashed blood. No bullet trace. Everything had been quick, and easy. Bradon proceeded to pile up the corpses on a small trailer attached to a pick-up car. Reaper, sitting on the driver seat, contacted someone on the screeching CB radio.  
  
"Where to put them, Lo?" He asked in a low voice.  
  
"How many?" Came the female voice between fits of screeching.  
  
"Twelve."  
  
"Number ten can't handle that much. We're directing you to number fourteen."  
  
"Fourteen? Are we that far yet?"  
  
"I'm afraid."  
  
"Okay, fourteen then. Send me the map, will you?"  
  
"Kay."  
  
A few more screeching and the small screen on the control panel blinked to show a greenish electronic map. A red point flashed where the pit number fourteen had been dug.  
  
"Shit, Lo, it's more than twenty kilometers away from here! Couldn't you just find some place even farter, so we could burn away our gas even more? Shit..."  
  
"Miss asked it that way. She wouldn't want her son to stumble upon them while playing. It would disgust him."  
  
"Like they aren't disgusting enough when they're still alive." Reaper mumbled under his breath.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing, I was talking to Brandon. We're going."  
  
"Let us know as soon as you're finished."  
  
"Yeah, kay. Over."  
  
Reaper turned off the radio, muttering obscenities as Brandon, sweaty from the work, collapsed on the passenger seat.  
  
"You covered them with the tarpaulin?"  
  
"Yes, I did. What's going on again? Heard you speak loud."  
  
"Ten is full, so are all the under until fourteen. It's twenty-two kilometers east."  
  
"Shit."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"We have that much...shells so far?"  
  
"We've lost count, I guess. Already been months since Miss started it. And she is still unsatisfied with the results."  
  
"You actually talked to her?"  
  
"Nope. Lo said it. She already ordered a few more pits."  
  
"Damn..."  
  
And that sealed their conversations. Back to his old emotionless self, Reaper reached long skinny fingers to start up the engine, and crushed the accelerator, sending the pick-up roaring throught the sunset-veiled path to fourteen. A few of the workers turned their gaze from work to silently watch the car and the macaber burden getting rapidly swollen by a cloud of dust.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Mmmkay sorry it took me so long...a time-consuming job and demanding boyfriend does that to you lol...I'm starting school tomorrow but it isn't really going to change my habits since my lucky ass got only 2 days of school per week *ducks avoiding flying bottles* And I know Seifer isn't in the chappy, can't you all forget him for a minute, eh?? ;-)  
  
Anyway....  
  
*Holds up sign* "WILL DROP PANTS FOR REVIEWS!!" 


	7. Regeneration

*sorry for the format, I had problems with my winword and the paragraphs are awful * sob *  
  
Disclaimers sucks but I do not own anything BUT the disclaimer *bows*  
  
  
  
Chapter 7: Regenerated  
  
  
  
Squall's eyes fluttered close as Zell held him hard against his hard- muscled chest. Hands securaly clasped around the young blonde's shoulder, squeezing him against the brunette like there was no tomorrow. Zell's teeth clenched as he felt the sharp pain of fingernails practically drawing blood from his flesh. Squall felt incredibly good in his friend's arms. Zell was warm and confident, and completely devoted. Listening to the martial artist's heartbeat and serene breathing, Squall allowed himself to briefly relax his body and mind down, and immediatly broke into an insane fit of loud sobs, coughs and murmured words.  
  
Squall couldn't remember the last time he cried. In fact, he was practically certain last time, he was a baby crying for his diaper to be changed. Years and years of unsaid pain, frustration, hate, anger, despair, all of them formed a huge knot inhis throat, tasting like bile and vinegar. It seemed like all those emotions were slowly oozing from every cell in his body. Like oil separated from water. When the knot was too painful for him to bear with, he'd throw his head backward in a swift yet graceful movement and screamed, screamed like something was tearing apart his insides.  
  
Zell's eyes widened at the sight of his tortured commander. Althought he knew Squall hid lot of things, he never ever believed his burden could be so painful on his shoulders. Soon enough Zell's sky orbs watered in reply, and soon enough both of them were shedding tears and despair on each-other's shoulder. Squall distractly felt Zell's wet cheeks against his face, felt Zell's soft sobs rumble from his chest through his throat and erupt from his moist lips.  
  
"Why...why are you crying?" Squall asked, dumbstuck by his friend's reaction.  
  
"I uh....I don't really know...I...couldn't help myself." Came Zell's awkward voice over his head. "I never seen you cry before."  
  
"I never seen myself cry before. First time."  
  
"How does it feel?"  
  
"Hurt. I feel like my head wants to burst."  
  
"You'll feel better after. You'll sleep like a baby."  
  
"And tomorrow everything will be back. Cid will be back trying to tie me up in there. Rinoa will be back trying to stick me with her..."  
  
"Rinny? I thought you two were..."  
  
"No we aren't. She is. I never wanted to."  
  
"But she told the whole Garden!"  
  
"And she didn't told me. Zell, she was the first face I saw when I woke up in Deling City Hospital. She took care of me like a mother, sleeping on the couch in my room rather than in her own, feeding me when I was took weak, walking me around the place, chatting with me at night until I doze off...she was my pillar. My best friend. But she loved me, she fucking loved me like mad. And I was too blind, too weak, to see that foolish spark in her eyes each time..."  
  
Squall's speech was broken by another fit of loud sobbing, as the knot in his throat once more asked for release. Zell only held him tigher, letting him pour some more tears and angst on his already soaked shirt.  
  
"And of course," Squall was finally able to speak, "She thought I loved her back. I didn't turned her off when she hugged me, I listened to her, talked to her...and I was her knight after all. I saved her...and what else could I do??"  
  
Squall had frantically cried out the last part, like he was eructing a sharp blade from his throat.  
  
"When she kissed me, I couldn't even think of not kissing back after all she has done. She had me curled around her finger. She had me convincing myself that I loved her back. I..."  
  
"You never loved her?" Zell's quiet, near-murmuring voice asked.  
  
"I don't know. I know I liked her, a lot, but I never had the time to think about it...but I pretended, I pretended for her, so she wouldn't be heartbroken after all she has done for me. I pretended everything, Zell, can you believe it? I had sex with her pretending I was making love, I listened to her talking about our life together, projects, future...when there was absolutely no future for us. I just lied. I'm a fucking bastard..."  
  
Zell was left speechless. From the moment they had met, Zell had been absolutely certain Squall and Rinoa would end up together. No questions there. Squall ran up to her through space when she got in trouble, Rinoa asked to have his Griever ring copied...  
  
"Zell?" Came Squall's murmur in his thoughts.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You're my best friend. Can I tell you something?"  
  
" 'course, you know you can tell me anything you want."  
  
"I think I'm gonna leave."  
  
The announcement hit the young blonde like thunderbolt.  
  
"WAA?? Ya're not gonna leave Garden, aren't you?"  
  
Squall paused, head still hanging down. Zell's hand moved to cradle the brunette's chin and gently lifted his head toward his. The blonde was surprised to meet a rock-hard gaze, full of anger and determination.  
  
"Cid's not gonna let me go. He threatens to kick me out of Garden. That's what kept me so far. But I'm tired. Tired of that fucking shenanigan that my life is turning into. What a pitiful hero. Trapped between his former father figure and his forced girlfriend. Anything would be better than that. And Quistis...we don't even know where she might be! Cid's not gonna let anyone out now. He's too pissed I let Seifer go on his own."  
  
"Seifer's a blue Seed. He is permitted to take such initiatives."  
  
"Cid's convinced I forced him into leaving."  
  
"Cid can go fuck himself dry."  
  
"Good, now you can go and explain it to him..."  
  
Both chuckled lightly, enjoying the presence of each other.  
  
"Squall..." Zell began, then paused.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'll help you pack. We better hurry before Rinny comes over and catch us."  
  
"Thanks, Zell."  
  
"You're welcome. I'll keep you updated on the Garden's affairs. And you know what? Cid won't know anything about it. Our little secret"  
  
Zell kept his eyes into his. His lower lip was still slightly trembling from ealier tears. Digging through his very soul.  
  
So he saw his commander was fully aware of what he was doing, when he slowly pushed Zell's body against the cold tile of the tub and settled his body on top of his, legs on either sides of his hips. Squall's mouth then lazily descended from his forehead to his own, where he took Zell's lips in a smooth embrace.  
  
Zell was surprised his eyes hadn't popped out of his orbits when Squall had pushed him against the tub, his intentions quite obvious. But he was even more surprised how the touch of his friend and commander felt, in many ways, right, and perfectly normal. Given, Zell was an assumed gay, and feeling a man's body pressed to him wasn't anything new to him. But Squall had always been off-limits, to a point where Zell had always preferred to hide his sexual preferrence to the brunette, which was pretty easy since Squall tended to be quite prude about his relationships and others. He didn't hid it because he felt ashamed, he as hell did not. But because he knew the already reluctant young man could be scared away at any of his friend's display of affection for him.  
  
Did Squall figured him out, or did he just took a chance? In both ways, it felt like a dream, quite a wet one, coming to life under the brunette's ardent touch.  
  
As Squall sought entrance between Zell's lightly flushed lips, his wandering hands began untucking the blonde's shirt from his baggy pants until they were allowed to freely runs over his trained chest and stomach. Zell clenched his muscles under the caresses, and moaned softly. Their kiss had grew into a deep, rough contest for dominance, punctuated with both boys' deep moans.  
  
At Squall dismay, It was Zell who ended it when the electricity between the two men reached a peek. It wasn't the time for it. Not here, not now. His strong fists lightly pounded against Squall's shoulders, elicing no reaction from the commander who kept fiercely stabbing Zell's mouth. Zell sneaked his hands between their joined chests and violently pushed them apart. Squall flew a good meter away before bonking on the floor, panting and very crimson.  
  
"I'm sorry." He muttered, face crunched like he had eaten something very sour.  
  
"I'm not." Zell quickly replied, a cocky grin playing on his lips. "And I will do it again. But it's not the time for play. If you want to go then go, and quick."  
  
Squall smiled at the perky blonde and accepted the hand he offered to help him standing up.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Seifer felt like shit. He was pretty sure he smelled the same, too. But the investigation was starting to get seriously interesting, well interesting enough for him to take a few hours away from the train station and get a room in Galbadia hotel with a computer terminal. In fact, he had no choice.  
  
Calling Squall's personal phone line only resulted in a "busy" beeping, and he needed to contact the boy, and quick. Plus, he had to visit the polie central of the city for help, and his stained and ripped clothes weren't exactly the type of uniform that granted you an access in a police central. He was now pretty sure there existed a link between the strange skinhead character of the train station and Quistis' disapearrance. After gaining access to several police archive, thanks to his new blue SeeD rank, Seifer quickly found several unsolved disappearances that matched the for mer instructor's. Gone without a trace while travelling to another city. Only in the Galbadia territory, fifty disappearances occured in the same circumstances. The policemen said they preferred not to announce a possible link between them, and kept the information locked away from the medias. When Seifer asked about similar cases in other regions, he had been seriously answered they had no idea, that the Galbadia Police Department was independant from the other police forces and didn't need any help from 'potentially threatening' regions.  
  
"If you let them get into our private files, Hyne himself knows what they could do with it." Added the Sergent who lead him through the files. "Even you, as a Balamb Island citizen, might be considered as suspicious for some of my men. It's truly a favor we are giving you, hope you'll remember that."  
  
Seifer left the Police Central more bitter than ever. Hyne, no wonder why Galbadian people preferred to hire SeeDs rather than using their policemen and soldiers! At least, the three Gardens kept close watch on eachother's cases, and helped each other! How fucking paranoid the world was getting?  
  
Back at the hotel, Seifer had also finally allowed himself to have a long, hot bath and several hours of deep dreamless sleep under fluffy covers. He was happy that for a few hours, his weariness had been too intense for him to conjure the image of Quistis inside in his head. Of course it didn't lasted. As soon as his eyes opened on a new day, the familiar face stabbed through his memory like the sharpest dagger. As hard as he tried to keep his mind blank and efficient, he couldn't forget Quistis might already be a cadaver right now. And even if he still refused this idea, each hour passed without her increased his torment.  
  
If only he had been there for her. Maybe all this wouldn't have happened?  
  
Who knows...  
  
Sighing, he crashed in front of the monitor and dialed the Garden's private access. The Garden's logo showed up, and Seifer typed Squall's username and password giving access to his private information.  
  
Much to his dismay, the screen only showed an error page.  
  
Seifer blinked and typed the username and password again.  
  
Error page. The SeeD user you requested is no longer attending this Garden.  
  
"The fuck??" Seifer yelled at the monitor.  
  
After four more attempt, Seifer had to face the truth. Squall seemed to no longer be a part of Balamb Garden. Then what happened?  
  
Seifer swore several times and logged into his own page. The message box flashed with several unchecked mails. Most of them advertisements for the Garden Festival (Damn you, Selphie!) Seifer noticed two of them were sent by a certain "Bouncy Wuss"  
  
Zell?  
  
Seifer was surprised to receive anything else from a virus or a threat from the hyperactive blonde. Althought he seemed to take the nickname Seifer had granted him with humor, Seifer knew better. They never got along very well, even though Seifer held no particular grudge against him. He just loved picking on him, and he loved it too much to considerate building a friendship with the marital artist. Out of curiosity more than anything else, Seifer clicked on the mail and waited for it to load.  
  
  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From: Bouncy Wuss Chicoboking@balambgarden.com To: Fire_Cross@balambgarden.com Date: Wed, August 22th 1500, 1320 pm  
  
  
  
Seifer,  
  
The kitten is gone. Please keep an open nest for it, it is going to need  
  
you. I'll stay in contact, don't worry.  
  
Chickie  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
Seifer instantly knew what it was all about. Squall had left Garden and was coming over. Zell would assume the contact part Squall had just gave up, which was just natural since he was Squall's best friend and the only other trustable person in the whole Garden. Considering the disguised message using the nickname only Zell used for Squall, Cid had to be kept away from this for as long as possible. Which had probably already been blown, considering the disapearrance of Squall's page on the Balamb Garden's network.  
  
The blonde checked his watch: Squall had been gone for nearly seven hours. Depending of the mean of transportation he chose, he was either already or about to arrive in Deling City. Seifer sighed and briefly wondered where all this was leading them. But it was no time for it. Squall needed him. Sliding his new, dark gray trench coat over his build frame, Seifer walked out of the room and joined the moving crowd outside.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
This morning, Quistis was awoken by the sweet smell of her favorite beverage, coffee, and roasted bread. A tray had been put on her bedside table, covered with several plates of toasts, eggs and sausages, fruits and cheese. Along with the coffee came a small bottle of orange juice, and some milk. At first the view of this pile of food only succeeded in turning her fragile stomach upside down, but soon enough, the lingering smell of melted butter and fried eggs made her hunger awoken.  
  
She sat up amongst the sheets and pillows, and as her vision focused found out she wasn't alone, not at all. The room was filled with three bed, and three bedside table, all of them identicals, and nothing else, except the sickening whiteness of the floor, walls and ceiling. The sheets she had just slept in smelled strongly of medicine and detergent, but they were also covered in brownish spots, probably blood stains.  
  
"Do you give me some?" A childish voice, thin like a silver chord, asked from below.  
  
Quistis jumped at the sound. Since she had arrived here, nobody had directly talked to her. Sometimes about her, and always hard, demanding voices. This little bell of a voice almost brought tears to her eyes. She lowered her head and met a huge mop of knotted blonde hair, a pair of sleepy eyes and a slight smile. The young girl had only an oversized hospital shirt on, and was pathetically rubbing her eyes. So cute, what was she doing there?  
  
"I think they're for all of us", Quistis replied, motionning to the other bed where a woman slept soundly.  
  
"Oh good, I'm really hungry," and with a sweep of her tiny body, the child sat on the bed beside Quistis, suddenly pretty awake. The fork dove directly into the pile of food and tore off big chunks of unidentified stuff the girl eagerly swallowed without even chewing.  
  
"Hey, easy there," Quistis laughed. "You wouldn't want to choke on it, wouldn't you"  
  
"No ma'am," The little blondie replied, spitting half-munched pieces of toast.  
  
Quistis smiled at her and joined the massacre with another fork.  
  
When they were both satiated, Quistis sighed heavily and fell backward on the thick mattress. Much to her surprise, the child hastily followed her move and laid herself beside the SeeD, one bare arm encircling her waist, and her head glued to her shoulder. Quistis didn;t made any move to push her away, feeling actually pretty good in her warm, innocent embrace.  
  
"What's your name?," The child's silver-bell voice asked.  
  
"Quistis Trepe. You?"  
  
"Erin Bord"  
  
"For how long have you been here?"  
  
"Maybe a week. I followed the gentle boy. He sometimes comes to see me. I really miss him when he's gone. You know him?"  
  
Quistis forced the foggy memory out of her mind. "Yes, I think he brought me here too. But I don't remember him very much."  
  
"His name's Allen. I don't know his family name. He took me away from my Ma in Deling City's train. We were on our way to my grandma in FH."  
  
"That's horrible...You must miss you ma a lot, aren't you?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"No?" Quistis' voice grew with incredulity.  
  
"I love my Ma, but she treated me like a baby. Allen told me I was gifted. I don't know what is it, that gift, but he said that makes me special, and I think Ma was trying to hide it form me. And that's not fair!"  
  
She had punctuated the last sentence with exagerated nods.  
  
"Since I am here," Erin resumed, "they taught me lots of tricks. I want to learn how to do more tricks! I'll be very special! Allen says I'll go back to Ma when I'll be very special. I miss her, but I want to be special."  
  
Quistis' head was spinning after such a speech. But the little girl's face was litterally glowing with excitement and happiness. Apparently she hadn't been hurt in the process. Maybe those bastards had some heart, after all...  
  
"Where are you hair gone?" Erin asked, raising a golden eyebrow.  
  
"My hair? They're......uh...they're gone because...because I needed space to store my gift."  
  
The child bursted in a fit of giggles. "Nah, seriously? You're gifted too?"  
  
"Well I guess so, since I'm sharing your room. And the other girl there,"  
  
She gestured toward the black-haired woman sleeping, "She's probably gifted too. They put us in the same room so we can be special together."  
  
Erin stayed silent for a while, thoughtful.  
  
"Well," She finally said, "That haircut sure make you very special from the start!"  
  
Quistis giggled along with the blondie. Still holding her precious frame against her, Quistis felt herself relax to the point of falling into slumber.  
  
Erin already has, and she was dreaming of her triumphant return to her family, transfigurated by her "special" powers.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
In the Kitchen, Alitas pecked out of the window for the tenth time in five minutes. The sun was slowly rising over the mountains, and Obel lake, calm in the windless dawn, glittered with the faint light. Allen had left for nearly ten hours, and was probably about to appear, his body a mere shadow in front of the sun. Hopefully, followed by another shadow.  
  
She always felt a strong anxiety each time she knew he was about to come back home. What if he didn't? What if something happened in the way to Deling, or to Trabia, or Balamb? Allen was a big boy, he was used to his travelling, and he was deviously clever. But he was a kid, HER kid. The only left for her when Ultimecia decided to mess up with the world-and failed miserably because of her sorry lack of perspective, and her overinflated ego. Thanks to Hyne and to Allen, she wouldn't follow this path. She knew exactly what her weaknesses were. As she knew where her strong points layed. And as she worked to repare the weak points, she also made sure to empower the strong ones even more. She would be ready, when the day comes.  
  
The problem was, she wasn't as powerful as she needed to be. Althought she apprenticed under Adel's supervision as a young girl, the sorceress didn't taugh her long enough to have her included her in her "testament", meaning she hadn't inherited any of the sorceress' power when she passed away. Damn these rebel scums, and that Laguna, pityful copy of a copy of a copy of a president! Adel was probably a few weeks away from choosing her when he locked her up in space and turned Eshtar into a mushy hedonistic pit of powder blue wimps. Then Ultimecia got the prize, and then that hysterical wench, Rinoa. Alitas had met her before. And she already knew the black-haired girl had nothing that great sorceresses were made of. She won the lottery out of pure luck and she spilled her powers like rainwater.  
  
Oh well. At least she wasn't dangerous. Of all the threats against her project Alitas could think. Rinoa Heartilly was the last, very last one.  
  
Exactly three hundred twenty-three people had been brought to her, and there were currently twenty-five of them in the installations. Meaning two hundreds ninety-eight bodies were buried on the vast property she had acquired for this sole purpose. To her own surprise, police was very slow to react. Gaia's most important regions, Dollet, Galbadia, Trabia and Centra, were fiercely protectionnists and suspicious toward each others. Plus, Allen had lately been warned to direct his hunts toward the poorest areas of the places he visited, places where death was more of a random event.  
  
They were just starting to link the disappearances. In fact, they were so scared to create a public psychosis that they hardly ever spoke about the possibility of this link. Alitas was pretty sure they paid the families to keep their mouth shut, too. In any case, it would soon be over. Over the last few weeks, her son had brought back quite a pack of very interesting preys, some of them practically jewels. She was a few days away from the final result. How she ached to finally be able to keep her boy near her, everyday, every night. He would never suffer anymore. He was so innocent, so sweet. He was actually believing he did this for those people's sake. Snatching the poors to offer them a new life, in harmony with their auras. Taking the childs away from their parents to teach them to use their auras, just as a prestigious private school would do. She hated to lie to him. But she had to.  
  
The kettle whistled and blew away her dreamland. Alitas Settled the tea cups on the table, along with the usual jars of jam and a bowl of fresh fruits. Allen would be hungry when he'd come back. Then, he'd have some rest while she'd visit the installations with her scientists. The day before, they had conducted an experiment on a young woman Allen snatched from Deling City train station. The amount of aura they had extracted from her was phenomenal, and they could already tell she was far from empty. In fact, they had discovered the woman had the hability to "recharge" her aura when put to rest. Her drained body on evening would wake up vigorous and vibrant  
  
in the morning. Such fascinating perspective she offered.  
  
If that woman truly held the secret of regeneration...  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
The term "aura" I use in this fic have absolutely nothing to do with the game's aura spells! It's the word I chose to define the quantity of magical power a person hold in his/her body. 


	8. That light that doesn't shine

May I take a few lines to thanks all of my reviewers from the bottom of my heart. Being a pretty insecure writer, I enjoy each and every of your kind words. Thanks again.  
  
Disclaimer *dum dum de dum*: You know who owns them.  
  
  
  
Chapter 8: This light that doesn't shine.  
  
Allen sat in the flower field, behind the huge family house he shared with Alitas, his mother. He sat just like a young prince would sit, with his knees bent and his legs crossed, and his back so flawlessly straight it hurts. In fact, his back already hurt when he woke up a few hours ago. He hadn'd slept well. His mom, in a typical protective way, would have said he shouldn't eat breakfast before going to bed, but he knew better. The nightmares reappaeared on a regular basis, always the same terrifying view of his naked body being torn apart by huge and ugly mechanical devices, and each time he screamed, screamed endlessly as the regenerated skin was ripped again and again by immaculate, buzzing steel. Even awake, the distressing image of sharp-edged cranes and blades assaulted his mind whenever he tried to relax. Not like he was that familiar with the relaxed state, anyway. Even in the bright afternoon sun sparkling on the calm lake, the warm breeze and the peaceful image of flowers and hills, his mind raced quicker than any haste spell.  
  
Still, he could feel his shoulders muscles unclamp lightly when he tought about the afternoon he had planned out. He hadn't seen her for three days and he missed her a lot, all this time. He was happy his mother accepted his request to free her from training until sunset.  
  
His whole body tensed in a painful knot when a pair of very juvenile hands suddenly blinded him. And instantly relaxed as the familiair obnoxious giggles rang in his right ear, right above the heat of Erin's head on his shoulder. They stayed that way for a moment, her still trying to suppress her laugh and him just sitting there, smiling as he absorbed her childish scent, something like pears and the chocolate cake she had for dinner. Then Erin, still giggly, freed his eyes and crashed beside him, tucking her supple body under his arm. This time Allen smiled almost genuinely. The girl radiated joy and playfulness. She belonged to that sunlit flower field just like the stars belinged to the nocturnal sky.  
  
"Slept well?" She asked, looking up at him.  
  
"Mmhm."  
  
"Good, because I slept awful! There is that woman in my room that is always having weird dreams and she's talking and sometimes she even screams!"  
  
"She screams?" The boy felt sudden sympathy for the unknown woman. He understood all the terrors of the night.  
  
"Yes! Like she's having a monster in her bed or something! The other woman in our room said maybe we would have to lock her in the bathroom."  
  
"She said that? You think you will do?"  
  
"Not me but maybe her, yes! She's a great madam, and you know what? She has your head too!"  
  
"Now now this head is mine, girl!"  
  
"Yeah I know that, stupid!" Erin cried with what seemed to be undevelopped frustration. "But she has the same head! with no hair. She's very cute, too. You should meet her."  
  
"Isn't she a little old for me?"  
  
"Uggh!! I can't ever talk seriously with you!!"  
  
"Okay okay, I'm serious now. Seriously, what have you learned this morning?"  
  
Erin quickly brightened up.  
  
"They taught me how to use support magic! I learned to cast float!"  
  
"Oh really! And it went well?"  
  
"Not really. I was too excited because we were going to spend the afternoon together. I couldn't concentrate, and I did a big nasty mistake."  
  
"Big and nasty uh? What was this bad?"  
  
Erin pointed out the distant place where a bunch of barn-like buildings hid the facilities behind the aspect of a family farm. It took him a few second to find out one of the wood racks they used to pile winter logs was actually floating several meters above the ground, followed by 3 swearing and sweating men with ropes and weights. Allen's face lit up and he broke into a fit of genuine laughs as he watched the rack drift carelessly in the wing like a balloon.  
  
"You did this??"  
  
"Ain't my fault! They told me to cast float on a log and I was distracted. I cast it on the whole rack instead!"  
  
"How many spells did you cast on that thing?"  
  
"Juss one I swear!! Only one! I stopped when I saw something was wrong but it was too late!"  
  
Allen laughed harder, watching the men trying to catch the rack as it was getting higher. A simple dispel, a spell he had in quantity inside him, would have done the job, but it was too damn funny. Erin had flushed bright red and was absently munching her lower lips.  
  
"You sure are full of surprise, chaffinch." He finally said, smiling brightly at her. In fact, he was believing it and the 'full of surprises' was an understatement. Float spells were supposed to slightly lift the object of person off the ground, not to make them migrate to another country! Considering the height and weight of the wood rack, he calculated at least 6 to ten float spells would be necessary to get it that high, depending on the person's hability with magic. And she tells him she'd been using only one? That couldn't be, unless her magical aura was far more powerful they had expected at first. After all, the girl's aura was pretty weak when he snatched her away from the train. Could she be lying? She sure didn't looked like she was. Erin had a total confidence in him. And so he had. SO lying wasn't an option.  
  
Erin had slipped into happy daydreaming when she heard him using her pet name. She couldn't help but feel attracted to him. He was the only one she could talk to, and feel like she was being heard, understood. All the others, even that nice bald woman from her dorm room, threated her just like a child. Of course, she was a child, but she was much more mature inside, although she still haven't learned the right words to express this maturity. Allen understood everything and responded to it in a way that made her feel incredible.  
  
"Say, Allen."  
  
The boy slowly drew his attention away from the comical scene in front of them, and to her pouty face.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I like you a lot."  
  
"You know I like you a lot too."  
  
Satisfied, she gently nudged his side, waiting for the protective arm to wrap around her shoulders and hold her just like she loved it, in a tight, chaste hug.  
  
"Will you marry me when I'll get older?"  
  
Allen didn't found the question disturbing at all, even though eight years separated them. It just sounded natural.  
  
"Yes, I will. But you grow up first. You grow up a lot first!"  
  
A sweet sound, half a purr, half a sigh, escaped her lip. Then she stood up.  
  
"Okay, mister husband. Now we RUN!!" She yelled as she ran away from him, in the mountain's direction. Allen laughed and followed her, careful not to run too fast.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Waking up there was always being assaulted by the heavy smell of the manic cleaness of her room. Detergents and disinfectants and medication dumped everywhere created an heavy atmosphere, between comfort and distress. Quistis' eyes opened and immediatly focused on the white ceiling. One of her hand, numb from having been stuck under her head the whole night, crept up her face to caress her skull, shocked as always to find it shaven and smooth like baby skin. Althought she had been there for roughly a week and couldn't remember having it shaved since they first plugged her on that damned machine, Every morning would find her as bald as the morning before.  
  
Even stranger, she seemed to be the only one in this place suffering this treatment. All of the people she had met or seen since she got there, silents and weakers, had their hair intact. Their situation, however, seemed harder than hers and her roomates'. Some of them were horribly thins, their bones sticking out of their light hospital jacket, and their skins greyish.  
  
This place, it should be huge to contain all those people, and all this heavy machinery. Everything in sickening white, white, white, not even yellowish, like white walls tend to turn after a while. Just plain, glowing white. Painful white. Reverberating everyone's suffering, and a tiny chord of hope, and happiness. Erin.  
  
That lovely little brat. Always smiling, Always hugging. She used her "special powers" to attract birds from the outside into the room and teach them lullabyes and other childish songs. Then they would sing for her at dusk, when she was forced to go to bed. With her innocent charm and gleeful personnality, this girl would one day have empires kneeling in front of her...  
  
But right now, she slept soundly beside her, her blonde head buried against her chest and exhalating her own natural scent of fresh grass and pears. Since that first morning where they met over eggs and toasts, Quistis' hadn't slept alone a single night. Erin would stay in her bed until light's out, then crawl under the covers of Quistis' bed and wrap her in her little heat.  
  
Lovely, lovely little brat. And that Allen she wouldn't stop talking about, that delicate-boned, pale-faced bald child. she barely remembered him at all, although she knew she had followed him into the train, then out at the East Academy station, and then again up north to that room. All she could remember from the whole time the walked together was that silence, that didn't seemed heavy, or uncomfortable, like they usually are. This one was almost sweet, eerie, just like a natural thing between two human being linked by something. After, or before that, nothing, or barely anything.  
  
She perfectly knew the reason of her partial amnesia. She felt it the first time that needle plounged inside her intimate core. They were draining her. Every cell of her body cried each time the complicated devices hissed and methodically sucked her dry of that 'special' thing she had inside, this secret strenght she felt in her since childhood but never really tried to understand. And, along with that specific energy, her memories, her feelings...she felt it. She was being slowly turned into a drone. Each night her body tried his best to regenerate what have been lost. But she was always weaker. The material needed to regenerate was getting harder and harder to gather.  
  
She still had enough sense to understand where she was, and where she came from. A homeland now nameless for her, and those people she had a strange familiarity with, but couldn't name. A guy with whom she had a strong attraction at some point, a shiny pair of grey eyes lost in a fog of dark braids. Another, associated with annoyance, a blonde with blue...no not blue....green! He has green eye, but so pale they could easily pass for light blue. He was the one she remembered the most, even to the clothes he usually wore, that very pompous gray trench with those dork-looking crosses. And another blondie, younger and bouncier. And a dark-haired girl with a mouth that kept switching between a tender smile and a nasty grin. The kind of face you could punch for hours and still have the greatest time of your life...  
  
A matter of days and she would have forgotten about them too. Did they remembered her? Were they looking for her? She couldn't exactly recall the nature or importance of her relationship with them, so she couldn't decide. Maybe she was already replaced in their heart, just like dead people. In a couple of days, she would be dead to herself. She would be a drone. There weren't much time left for her.  
  
No more acquaintances, no more past, no more future. Just the present, and right now Erin's soft whimpers and her real, solid being stuck against her. The only stable thing in her melting universe.  
  
And now she was scared she might lose her too.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Seifer emerged from slumber with a loud hiccup, staring wide-eyed at the dark ceiling above him, every fiber of his being tensed enough to snap. Squall slept soundly in the bed next to him, his delicate features relaxed in sleep althought the usual frown he wore in daylight seemed irremediably imprinted between his eyebrows. It was obvious Squall had nothing to do with what happened, that he hadn't heard what Seifer heard, nor saw what he saw. Hyne blessed him!  
  
Those huge eyes with a distinct blue light fading and staring directly at him, asking, no begging him to light them again. The woman was thin, and bald, just like that boy they were still trying to get a grip on. A strong feeling of disorientation and confusion poured from her. But even in her state of physical weakness and emotional pain, he could recognize her amongst thousands.  
  
She was screaming at him and he suffered with her. He saw that monstruous needle approach her face, then disappear from her eyesight, and then the sharp pain, the screeching feeling of the steel as it searched against the skull for the hole, and passed throught it to join the evasive spot right above her left ear, where aura lingered like a clear fountain. Seifer perceived a slight purring sound, like a playful kitten could be hidden somewhere. The sucking sensation took him by surprise, but apparently not her, in fact she didn't even jumped as the fountain was thoroughly drained, and her world melted into a meaningless mix of voices and colours. It felt like he was himself being removed from her and sucked into the humming device. The whole process had only took a minute. The purring sound was gone.  
  
That's when the connexion had broken between them. As as Seifer tried to unclasp his hand from the spot where the needle penetrated her brain, their brains, he couldn't forget that the real reason why the woman he cherished broke the contact with him. That was because she couldn't remember. Seifer wasn't even sure she knew who he was in the first place. But at least she was alive. There was still hope and he was going to take every tiny little piece of it.  
  
Stumbling down his bed Seifer gripped the headboard to regain his balance and stormed in the bathroom, ignored by his snoring roomate. The shower briefly ran, and was settled cold enough to free a litany of very offensive and colored curses from his mouth. But when he stormed back, he was a fresh and awake as in the middle of the day. When discovering the former commander hadn't even moved, Seifer stopped dead on his tracks and, enlightened by a sudden inspiration, returned to the bathroom door, which he delicately open to make sure it wouldn't creak, and then violently slammed.  
  
Squall litterally jumped off the bed, the sudden rush of adrenalin in his system making him wide awake and agressive. unable to take hold of his gunblade, which has been very cleverly pushed under the bed, but apparently too far out of reach, he comicly grabbed the bedside lamp and almost threw himself on Seifer. The rather large blonde easily stopped his blow and the lamp smashed on the ground  
  
"Damn it!" Squall yelled " I could have killed you on the spot, you stupid dumbass! What was that for? It's...." He paused briefly enough to cast a glance at the clock on the opposite wall "It's fucking 4 in the morning!"  
  
"And if you don't stop yelling it at the whole place we will get thrown out!"  
  
"Why you big-"  
  
"Squall, Quistis contacted me!"  
  
Squall's long trail of insults died on his tongue. "She what?"  
  
"She's somewhere around. I don't think she could have contacted me if she was far away. She is weak, and in a horrible emotional state. I don't know exactly what's happening to her, but she has lost all of her hair and they are directing some kind of....research on her."  
  
"Waitwaitwaitwait! Who are researching what on Quis? Where is she?"  
  
"I said I didn't knew! There's men dressed in white all around her, and there was a needle driven through her skull and into her brain. They're sucking off her, and don't even bother asking me what they suck, I don't have the slightliest idea. But she's forgetting us."  
  
"She's drugged!"  
  
"No, she's not. But she's definitely forgetting everything. She couldn't remember my name. Nor yours. In fact she hardly remember your face.I saw Rinny in her head too, and even the Wuss."  
  
"Zell"  
  
"Wuss"  
  
"Zell"  
  
"Wuss"  
  
Squall glared at him, but decided it would be better to bring the conversation back on Quistis.  
  
"Now, how are we supposed to find her? You don't know where she is anyway."  
  
"No but I know that we are not searching in vain! She's alive and we're going to find her. I'm going to call for SeeDs."  
  
Squall jumped and grabbed Seifer by the collar.  
  
"No WAY you are gonna tell Cid I am here! He's gonna pull me in martial court for escaping."  
  
"Okay okay...then...we go alone and try to pull her away?"  
  
"No...definitely not..."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"Uh...you think Wuss would know who are the other blue SeeDs in Garden?"  
  
"For fuck's sake it's Zell, dumbass!"  
  
"Aren't we a bit ticklish today? What's with the Chicken? You usually aren't putting that much heart into defending him."  
  
"Fuck you and yes he does know the blue SeeDs so go mail him before I rip your pompeous throat open!"  
  
"Okay okay!"  
  
The Garden's splash page showed. Seifer typed his username and password and waited for his personal page to load.  
  
Except that it showed an error page, along with the same message he got a couple days ago when he tried to access Squall's page. The user was no longer a part of this Garden.  
  
"WHAT??" Seifer thundered, punching the screen.  
  
"Looks like Cid is holding you responsible for my betrayal," said Squall watching over the blonde's shoulder.  
  
"He can't ban me! He have no proofs! He have to send a warning first damn it!"  
  
"And he's Headmaster and he's over your little blue SeeD's butt, Seifer."  
  
"Now how the fuck are we supposed to contact Zell? He cannot receive anything else than Balambgarden.com adresses!"  
  
Squall pushed the blonde off the chair and sat down. He typed Zell's username and password, granting him access to his new boyfriend's personal page. He clicked 'enter'.  
  
"So I see, this isn't something more than friendship, isn't it? He laughed.  
  
"Shut up. Ain't none of your business."  
  
The screen in front of them blinked another 'error' page  
  
"WHAT??" Squall shouted, almost knocking the computer over.  
  
"Zell cannot get banned!" Exclaimed Seifer, as suprised as his brunette friend by the situation. "Unless Cid found out he was helping you. How on Gaia did he found out about it?"  
  
"Like I am supposed to know?? The old man is getting more and more paranoid."  
  
"So Zell's out...Maybe he's looking for us?"  
  
"The Chicken can take care of himself, Squall. We have no time to run after him."  
  
"Yeah....yeah I guess you're right." Squall sounded suspiciously disappointed.  
  
"Right now we have a very bald princess to rescue!"  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Nightfall in Balamb city was the prettiest thing on Gaia, Allen's artistic mind decided as he watched the shadows gathers on the pier he sat on, while the slumbering sun lit up the sea with dark orange licks. The humid air around him was slowly turning the city into a light blue ghost. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. He loved beauty more than anything, and he loved everything about beauty. The magic, the seductiveness, the wanting...  
  
But he never wanted to touch the object of his infatuation. He feared the feel of his hands could tern it's light, it's form. He sometimes spent half a hour in the loving examination of a perfect flower, or a fallen leaf covered in frost. He could perfectly remember every details a couple hours later when, still consumed by love, he'd paint the flower's corolla or the tiny ice shards on the leaf.  
  
His mom was very proud of his talent, and these paintings usually ended up displayed around the house. But not all of them. Some of these paintings had to be kept hidden in his room, behind a part of the wall that he had removed and hid behind a shelf. Those few paintings had a very special value for him. They were paintings of human beings he met, loved and immortalized. All of them were random people he had met in his travelings. An old man with a strange hat, a blonde flower girl holding a huge daffodil bouquet, another girl with a bright yellow jumper and strange hair, curled upward at the end. Another one was a dark-haired young man with a huge doberman on a leash. The last one, which wasn't completely dry yet, was Erin's. He had done it the morning before, while his mother was out. He planned to give her the portrait for her sixth birthday, which was going to be next week. He was very proud of this one. Her painted face looked just like the real thing, her blonde lock glistening faintly in the twilight of a candle. He had signed his full name right under the small hand that held a marguerite. Allen Oran.  
  
He couldn't wait to see her face when she'd see this. But right now, he couldn't think about it. He had sensed an interesting aura about a hour before, and he was still tracking the owner of this aura. Balamb was a small town, but the insane amount of small alleyways led him on the wrong path more than once. But he wasn't pissed. He was very patient, having only this to do with his time until the next train ride home. And right now, he knew that person was heading his way. So he resumed the contemplation of the crimson waves and took a bite of the apple he had brought with him. The wind brought him the intense smell of seaweed and salt, and he closed his eyes, for a few seconds...  
  
The noise of stomping feet snapped the boy out of his dreamworld. To his right, someone was coming. Walking slowly but with heavy footsteps that sounded like a lot of anger was poured in them. About ten meters away from him, a short silhouette appareared, walking to the edge of the pier. A young man, blonde and spiky-haired, maybe twenty years old? His body was stiff, determinated. He stopped right in front of the sea and crashed down to the ground, his feet over the edge of the pier and his hands supporting his face. It seemed all the world's sorrow had suddenly fell on his back. He sighed, and Allen knew tears were fighting to come out. The poor man was sad beyond words. It was truly heartbreaking.  
  
But it would make things easier for the boy.  
  
Allen took another bite of the apple and made sure the noise would attract the blonde's attention. The faded blue spheres turned to him, but he was hardly seeing him, it was more of an automatism.  
  
Allen smiled gently at him, trying his best to look friendly althought he was rather saddened. The man's bright blue eyes sparkled at him, and he smiled a weak smile before standing up and joining the child. They both sat in silence, Allen chewing his fruit and the blonde chewing his lips as they watched the sun splurt its last rays on Balamb and fade away. Tears had gathered again in the blonde's eyes, this time flowing freely even though his face stayed calm and hard. Allen had empathy. He felt his rejection, his pain, his loss. The man lost a home, lost a friend, and was slowly losing his grip on the world. How sad. The young boy slowly drew a slender arm around the blonde's shoulders, and pulled him against his shorter body. He offered aboslutely no resistance.  
  
"What is your name?" The boy asked, working to make his voice the more childsih and innocent possible.  
  
"Zell." He murmured without hesitation. His eyes had already glazed, revealing a pretty weak magic defense. He was not junctionned. He was innocent and sad.  
  
"Would you like to come with me Zell?" His voice sounded even more childish, something like a singalong song. Zell's head slowly moved back and forth, like his neck was suddenly not strong enough to hold it. Allen reallized he was nodding.  
  
"Yes?" Allen asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Allen was surprised he didn't even asked where they were going. Most of the people he snatched, even sweet Erin, had at least asked him. But this Zell didn't seem to even care. He seemed to want to disappear from the face of the Earth. Allen was happy he had found him before the man did something stupid, like jumping from the pier. As he slowly stumbled back on his numb legs, and held a comforting hand in Zell's direction, he truly hoped his mother and the other specialists from the research center would help him and make him a strong, free man.  
  
The blue shroud slowly opened it's rags to let them drown in. Somewhere near, a train whistled. Allen walked faster.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Where are you?  
  
..I don't know!  
  
You must have a clue where you are! Is there a window?  
  
.yes.  
  
What do you see?  
  
Mountains. Not high enough to have snow. And in front of the mountains, a huge flower field.  
  
*sigh * That could be anywhere. You have more clues?  
  
..there's sometimes sounds of birds, how do you call those birds, that lives near water?  
  
Seagulls?  
  
No..not those. You know, those with lots of colours, and flat beaks?  
  
Ducks!  
  
Yeah ducks. I hear them all the time.  
  
You're near a lake. A big lake?  
  
I don't know! I never go out. They never let me out of this place. I don't know! Refrained sobs filled her voice.  
  
Calm down. We can help you now. Do you know who I am?  
  
...I...no.  
  
You don't remember me?  
  
.I remember you used to be near me. But I don't know where. I don't know your name. I wouldn't recognize you if I had you in front of me..I'm sleepy.  
  
Stay with me.  
  
I want to..but I'm sleepy. They.shot me something..it's cold.  
  
Quistis, stay awake! Stay with me!  
  
..can't..Quis.tis?  
  
QUISTIS!!  
  
.  
  
  
  
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	9. Memory is a stupid bitch

Disclaimer : I own Disney, Microsoft and AOL Time Warner but I do NOT own them. Anyone wanna trade?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 9: Memory is a stupid bitch  
  
Quistis sighed as the warm water splashed her sore body. The time they were allowed to shower was a mere fifteen minutes, so she had to hurry. After the shower, she would have her first meal, then would be back to her room for a nap. Then up again two hours later for the first drawing of her aura. Then it would be another solid meal and anti-nausea pills to ensure she would keep it inside. In her weakened state, it often happened she vomited her food and passed out, so it have been decided to put her on medication. She needed all the energy she had to survive to her bi-daily aura drawing. So after the second meal, they would put her to bed again for a few hours, then wake her up at six pm for another forced meal and the last drawing of the day.  
  
It was her everyday schedule. Her whole life was reduced to these meaningless primal gestures, but she couldn't think about it anymore. Her instinct forced her to survive, although she couldn't tell why. And her mind was far too weak to ask any question. The people there were actually nice with her. Never speaking too loud, never pushing her, never swearing or insulting her like they did with other people in the facility. The food was good and the meds, efficients. So she stayed and waited, and stopped hoping for an outside world she could no longer recall.  
  
This morning had nothing particular, in fact. She had been woken up by Erin's wriggling against her, talked a bit about everything and anything, while waiting for the men to come get Quistis and escort her to the showers. Erin was taking special lessons from one of the scientists working at the facilities and would soon be good enough to return to her family, or so she said. She was seeing her boy, Allen, on a very regular basis, sometimes more than once a day. The brat was madly in love with her knight, she thought smiling at the candid innocence of her roomate. Allen seemed to return her feelings, and took good care of her.  
  
Quistis wished she had someone like Allen, someone solid and true to hold on to. But everything in her life was illusions. Everything was fake. Nothing to support her at night when she'd fell on her bed, exhausted, hurt and barely able to remember where she was.  
  
Wait, she had a someone. She talked to him not so long ago, the night before? He told her he'd come get her. Why? She couldn't recall. And how? She didn't even knew where she was. It was nice of him, 'though. How she wanted o believe he was coming, whoever he was. He was the only one she could remember. And he was near her. Since when had she known that? No idea. But she knew it, and she had called him two times, the last time being yesterday night. As she turned the water off, she hoped she would still remember him by the end of this day, so she could maybe talk to him again, and maybe he would really come and get her? Hope was an empty feeling in here, quickly drown in the blinding whiteness of the walls and ceilings. White was not pure in here. It was void, nothingness, forgetfulness. She guessed that's how they broke so many people. Damn it worked pretty well on her.  
  
A slight rapping against the door reminded her she wasn't alone. With a soft sight, she turned the water off and accepted the white towel a hand offered her through the curtain, wrapping it around her thin frame before stepping out. The woman near her was a huge matron, dressed in white just like everything in there. Her long black hair were tied behind her head in a tight bun, which only underlined her severe features, man-like face with hard dark blue eyes and thin lips. She practically never talked to her, but never used violence against her either. She was just a drone amongst many others, trying to live her life.  
  
Now dry, Quistis slid the white rough cotton robe she had to wear in the facilities, without any underwears. Not that she minded, in fact. Prudeness and shyness were feelings long forgotten, amongst a lot of others. The tall woman opened the door and let her walk in front of her. As always, the only light came from the ceiling, which was in fact a large glass covered in white paint. Today, it was particularly bright. The sky must have been blue and free above her. But there was no need to think about it.  
  
The cafeteria, finally. Her legs felt all thingly and numb, when the matron sat her down on a table, alone, as she always had to be separated from the other 'patients.' Her bodyguard left her, the time to go up to the counter and get her meal. Meanwhile, Quistis looked around her for familiar faces. Most of the people she met in her first days in this prison seemed to no longer live in the facilities. New faces showered around her everyday, one new brunette with bright green eyes, another black-haired with dark eyes, and now that blonde with the tattoo that reminded her of.  
  
Of who? Did she knew that face? Those loose bangs, they should be held up in the hair like spikes, shouldn't they? Wasn't he supposed to bounce around like a little monkey?  
  
Following her thoughts, the young blonde's head turned away from his plate of eggs and the bright blue eyes met her darker ones. He instantly froze, recognizing the face he has seen in class for so long.  
  
"Quistis?" The short blonde barely articulated  
  
"."  
  
"Quistis?" This time he said it louder, but she couldn't reply, dumbstruck that someone in this mess of drugged lonely souls seemed to recognise her, although the name he was calling her didn't sound familiar. Meanwhile, the man had ran to her and was now holding her by the shoulders, calling that name over and over like a prayer. Her eyes briefly meet his, and then she knew he was someone she had seen before. Wasn't he the bouncy one?  
  
"I." She tried to speak, but two white-clad men appeared and seized Zell by the armpits, pulling him away from her table. Zell tried his best to fight back against them but he was alone, weak, drugged and weaponless, so when one of the guards pulled a large syringe out of his pocket, Zell stopped moving and waited for the inevitable shot to pull him out of his misery.  
  
Quistis watched the largen men drag Zell's limp body out of the cafeteria. Something within herself had been awakened by the blonde's screaming. Something that felt terribly wrong and at the same time, powerful. Maybe the short blonde had given her his strenght since he, unlike herself, was still willing to fight?  
  
It was still time, and she had allies. After her meal, they would lock her back in her room for the naptime, and she would have time alone to talk with him.  
  
No matter if she didn't survive until they come. This whole insanity had to end.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Are you there?  
  
Seifer dropped the spoon in the bowl of soup he was having for dinner, the loud cling making Squall jump from the computer screen he was glued to.  
  
"Seifer?" He asked noticing his friend's glazed look.  
  
"Shut up, she's there."  
  
You okay?  
  
Yes, I am with Squall.  
  
Squall?  
  
Nevermind. Are you okay?  
  
Yes.but not for long. You have to come get me. To come get us. Before everyone is dead. I can show you where we are.  
  
Show me.  
  
I hope it is going to be fine enough.I am not strong. I might not be able to show you a lot.  
  
Try your best. Look out your window.  
  
Okay.  
  
A bright light blinked several times in Seifer's head before the blurry image of a small window, framed with white curtains, appeared.  
  
It's quite unclear.  
  
I know I know let me adjust a bit.  
  
The image, just like a camera focusing, tentatively moved clearer, then foggier, then clearer again. Outside, a bright sun shone over a flower field, with dark green mountains on the background. Nothing to stand out of any countryside landscape around the world.  
  
Can you show me more?  
  
Wait.I'm trying to squeeze my head out of the window.  
  
The 'camera' moved a bit, showing in the corner a couple barns and people working around them with small motorised vehicles.  
  
Where's the lake you were talking about?  
  
Behind the barns. I never saw it, actually, but there's always huge black ducks flying in this direction.you can hear them all the time.  
  
Black ducks?  
  
About a meter or so from head to tail. They have white spots on their neck and red eyes. Erin lured one into our room once.  
  
Erin's your roomate?  
  
Yes.she is four years-old. Please try to get her too. She.  
  
Quistis' voice started to fade, as well as the image inside Seifer's head.  
  
I'm tired. I have to sleep before they come get me for my morning drawing  
  
Go sleep. We're coming. Please rest.  
  
Yes I will. Please come quick  
  
The contact snapped leaving Seifer almost slipping down his chair with exhaustion. Squall waited silently by his side.  
  
"Squall, find me an ornithology website."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Do you love me, Moogle?" She asked as soon as her son, only in his boxer shorts, came out of his room and into the kitchen where dinner was waiting for him. That was her morning greeting, the only way she knew to soothe the hidden fear of being left alone.  
  
"Of course, mom." He smiled his usual handsome smile, showing his perfect white teeth. Allen circled his mother's shoulders with his not-so-slender- anymore arms and drew her into a tight hug, then kissed both her cheeks.  
  
"Here." He finally said releasing her from his arms.  
  
"Here." She smiled and put the full plate in front of him. Allen immediately starting piling the spaghettis in his mouth. Alitas smiled and sat on the counter, an apple in one hand.  
  
"You seem quite in good shape, Moogle. You're not as moody as you used to. And you're not even playing with your food anymore. Is there something I missed?"  
  
Allen smiled. "No mom. I just feel.good."  
  
"Good? Oh well. What are you going to do today? It's nice sunshine outside."  
  
"It is? Great. I promised Erin I would teach her how to fish if the weather was good. I bet she's already waiting for me." Allen gulped down the rest of his orange juice and ran to his room to get dressed.  
  
Alitas looked out of the window the whole time, not to alarm her son with the dead look in her eyes. Allen had never been close enough of anyone beside her to make friends. He never really cared about it anyway. But all in the five minutes he had been with her, she suddenly understood her boy was slipping slowly but surely out of her reach, and because of a four- years-old she intended to grow a bit then drain like a slaughter animal.  
  
For a while she had actually considered keeping the child alive for Allen's sake. He seemed to like the girl, and it seemed to have a good effect on his usually stern temper. For a moment he acted just like he was supposed to, like a kid, which he almost never did for a reason she still kept deep inside her head.  
  
"Leaving, mom." Allen's voice came from the hallway, and a door slammed shut.  
  
Alitas moved from the counter and down the short hallway that led to her son's room. The door, as always, had been left slightly opened, as Allen knew his mother didn't liked to have door shut in her face. The room smelled like oil paint and remover, and Alitas knew she would soon have another masterpiece to hang on the wall. No dirty clothes on the floor. In fact, there was nothing on the floor, everything was meticulously cleaned, the bed well made, the papers place on a perfect pile on his desk.  
  
Moving inside, the sorceress noticed the bookshelf had been moved and that a part of it was a good ten centimetres away from the wall. As she reached to push the shelf back on place, the sight of the rather large hole behind hit her right in the guts. There was no way her son could hide something from her! Trembling, Alitas pushed the bookshelf away and gazed, stunned, at the face looking at her like curse. There were about five canvas piled on each other. The one on top, of course, had to be the hated juvenile face of Erin, lightened in a childish laugh with a candle in a hand and a flower in the other. The contrast of her blonde hair on the dark surroundings made her looks like a tiny angel watching over her. But it was Allen she watched. Through the fog of her own raging jealousy, Alitas thought her son never did a single painted of her face. How could she have been so blind? She was responsible for her son looking away from her. How could she have let that happen?  
  
Icy cold fingers replaced the shelf where it belonged, leaving the corner away from the wall like she had found it. It was still time to put everything back into place, and someone would have to be sacrificed for it.  
  
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Obel Black Swans. Living near Obel Lake. Hyne it was so easy, so accessible. If Seifer had known that one day the fate of his beloved would be held by a stupid bird, he would have stopped eating fried chocobo sooner.  
  
Although now that he had to 'enjoy' a ride on one, he wasn't too sure anymore. After the rather short train ride from Deling to Obel station, Seifer and Squall had no choice but to hitch a chocobo ride, car engines being too noisy for the quiet attack they had planned. After half an hour of bouncing on the unpredictable animal, Seifer's butt was on fire, his balls almost gone inside, and he couldn't think of anything but the barbecue he could do out of the bird as soon as he'd be done with all this. But then, luckily for it, the chocobo finished climbing the hill, and the glittering of the lake came into view, cradled between the dark green mountains. Not too far from the shores, a imposing house, painted all white, stood like a queen amongst a group of huge barns and smaller appendices. Although they were still far away from there, the colours of a multitude of flowers were clearly showing it was the field Quistis had shown him. Seifer's body exhaled a huge sigh and for a moment, his head turned, like he had drank too much. Squall stopped his chocobo right behind his, afraid Seifer might fall. Then he saw it too.  
  
"There?" He asked,  
  
"Definitely there."  
  
"Any plan?"  
  
"Get Quis."  
  
"Fine."  
  
It should be easy to sneak in. The afternoon was slowly moving to evening, and only a couple persons were walking around the place with various instruments, and a few small tractors roared. Nothing a full-trained SeeD couldn't handle. Seifer put a hand in the pocket of his coat and made sure the small vial, concentrated sleep spell, was still there. Just in case. He didn't wanted to make blood pour as long as he couldn't tell who was responsible for all this suffering and who wasn't.  
  
They decided to leave the chocobos a little bit down the hills, where they couldn't be seen, and to cross the rest of the distance walking. To their own surprise, the few people who noticed their approach didn't seemed concerned by the fact they were strangers, and armed stranger above all- their gunblades were slid under their coats but could still be noticed. Such lousy security for a place like this was quite strange, but they had to take advantage of it, hoping it wasn't a trap. They casually walked around a bit, Seifer searching for the view he had when Quistis slid her head out of the window, all this while trying not to look suspicious to other eyes, casually conversing like nothing was wrong. Birds chirped, people around talked and laughed and talked about the weather. Many of them were riding small tractors with trailers attached to them, their content hidden by large white tilts. After circling the whole area once, Seifer froze in mid-movement. Just in time. A flight of black birds was just crossing their path, before disappearing behind one of the barns. Seifer knew it was the good one.  
  
The windows on this side of the barn were not even locked, but they were quite high, high enough for someone to hurt himself if he tried to jump down. Seifer had to climb on Squall's shoulders in order to reach the small opening that barely let out a strong smell of disinfectant. Strangely enough, the sick breath coming out of the window was actually colder than the ambient air outside.  
  
The window easily slid open, leaving an opening almost too small for Seifer's massive body to fit in. He looked into the room and was surprised to meet the empty gaze of a woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was sitting in a white bed, face emotionless and her skin so pale it matched the white sheets of her bed. The woman showed no surprise, nor any emotion whatsoever, to see a man erupt in her room. She just kept watching the wall in front of her. Seifer looked down to Squall and instructed him to stay near the wall and wait for him. The window slid shut, leaving Squall hoping nothing bad would happen.  
  
In the woman's wardrobe, Seifer found several white clothes, most of them being rather large for the thin woman in the bed. He retrieved a couple white robes and slid the larger one over his clothes. His gunblade still made a hard line through the fabric, but he couldn't go unnarmed in the enemy's hive. He opened the door and glanced outside. The room was in the exact middle of a row of twenty or so. The hallway was silent and plounged in twilight, only a few white-clad people walking around like zombies. A red flashing pannel on the opposite wall spelled 'nap time.'  
  
Seifer moved to the room next to him, to the right. It was empty. The one after too. Then there was a white clad girl, about sixteen and visibly drugged, who turned to him a look full of the purest terror he'd ever seen. He thought she was about to scream and alarm the whole place but then noticed the silver glint of a bolt in her throat. Silenced like a beast with a 'sound lock' pushed through her vocal chords. A thin line of blood still dripped from the wound. Seifer closed the door trying to silence his own scream.  
  
The door next hid three metal beds with people sleeping soundly. None of them looked like Quistis. Then three more empty rooms, and two others, last ones before the wall, full of medical devices and supplies that looked nothing but terrifying, and reminded him heavily of the machines Edea, under Ultimecia's spell, used to torture him each time he failed to her. He shuddered. He was sure he had seen one of those torturing Quistis in one of their contacts. Seifer sighed and walked back to his starting point, this time moving to the left. Seven people had been shoved in the first one, each one wearing a 'sound lock' and two of them blindfolded. The next one was full of metallic beds, some of them marked with blood stains. Three empty rooms. Then Seifer hit a locked door, with a piece of paper taped to it saying 'do not disturb'  
  
Quistis.  
  
Her presence litteally filled the hair. He could smell the strong scent of her usual peach perfume, and knew she was creating the illusion of it to draw him toward her room. At least she remembered that.  
  
Still, the door was locked with two solid bolts, only removable from the inside. Neither Firaga nor Thundaga would affect those five centimetres of solid stainless steel. His gunblade would probably break in two before being able to cut off the first bolt.  
  
Who are you?  
  
Seifer almost ran away when he heard the voice calling him, thinking it was coming from the hallway, then realised the voice was inside his head, and the smell of peaches stronger around him.  
  
Quistis?  
  
Who are you?  
  
You asked me to come deliver you.  
  
I did?  
  
Seifer worried for a second, afraid they might have turned her into a completely new person.  
  
Why don't you come in?  
  
The door is locked.  
  
Is it? Oh..  
  
The two bolts started simultaneously to unlock.  
  
Here.  
  
Swallowing hard, the blonde opened the door and found the room in twilight again, the only light coming from drapes-covered window. Her thin form laid in her bed, in the exact same position where he found the blonde girl in the first room. The absence of hair on her skull only made her face prettier, the cerulean eyes even bigger, the full lips even fuller and strawberry-colored, her creamy skin even more perfect. Her long arms stretched straight in front of her. She was an eerie, supernatural sight, looking like a glass sculpture. Did this ice beauty really unlocked the door with the power of her spirit? She looked like she wouldn't even be able to stand on her own. Seifer's body melted in a strange mix of fear, love and desire. He ran through the short distance separating them and knelt beside her, sliding his arms around her shoulders and holding her not too tight, afraid she might break. Her eyes met him. Empty. Asking.  
  
He painfully understood she couldn't remember who he was. Right now he could as well have broken into tears, but he had to get her out of there first.  
  
"Can you walk?" He asked.  
  
"I am not sure."  
  
"Doesn't matter. I'll carry you. Are you ready to go?"  
  
"Yes.but Erin isn't here.she haven't been here today."  
  
"We'll have to come back for her. We're going, 'kay?"  
  
"...Yes."  
  
Seifer gently removed the bedsheets, almost afraid of her white body marked with bruises and the blue veins marking her legs. She only wore the white robe everyone seemed to have around the place, so Seifer removed his own dark clothings and covered her with it making sure she wouldn't get cold on the ride home. The window slid open and Seifer glanced outside, happy to see nobody but worried to notice Squall wasn't there either. He jumped anyway, with Quistis solidly held over his shoulder. He landed heavily on the grass, feeling a small hint of pain on his ankles. Damn, he could have twisted his ankle trying to jump down the window. He would have to remember to choke the boy to death for walking away. How unprofessionnal.  
  
Seifer tried to have Quistis to walk on her own, but her unsure legs were not holding her, so he swapped her in his arms and started to run toward the hill where their chocobo were waiting.  
  
Bot frozen when he saw Squall standing at the corner of the barn, his jaw clenched shut and looking away. To a little blonde boy following a line of white people. A boy with an unmistakable bunch of hair flopping around his childish face. Wuss.  
  
"Squall."  
  
"I can't go without him."  
  
"But."  
  
"Go. Go and put here somewhere safe. I'm not leaving without him."  
  
"But."  
  
"I'll call you."  
  
Seifer knew everything had been said. He pressed a hand over the brunette's shoulder and turned to the hills with Quistis already asleep.  
  
  
  
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Her eyes opened and the first thing she noticed was the smell. It made her panic, not to have that strong abrasive scent greeting her and telling her she was home. This place smelled like roasted bread and rain, which she could hear the pouring sound from an open window. This bed was not cold and the sheets were not rough like those she had grown accustomed to. They were soft and there were several layers of them piled over her body. It felt too good to be true, she thought as she shifted in the heat, discovering her thin mattress had also been turned into a luxury and thick piece of softness while she slept.  
  
"Awake?" The obviously male and very barytone voice asked through the fog in her mind.  
  
"Mmmhm." She replied without thinking. Then it hit her that nobody talked to her in the facility, other than to shout orders. Her eyes shot open. The blonde face smiled at her, something gentle and caring, something totally new. Althought she knew she had to know this man, Quistis still couldn't recall anything concerning him, other than what happened the night before, when he snatched her away from that miserable place.  
  
"You remember me?"  
  
That question she hated more than anything else. "Other than from yesterday, no."  
  
She knew he was working hard to keep his face straight and hide his disappointment.  
  
"I'm sorry," She finally said. "I wish I could remember your name, where you are from, when did we first met. But I don't. But thanks for taking me away from this hell I was in."  
  
Seifer smiled brightly, happy to find out that even amnesiac, bald and scarred for life, Quistis still acted like Quistis, and everything was there. The autority, the tone, the manners...  
  
"I'm happy you're alive, and I'm happy you're with me. I'm not asking for anything else right now."  
  
Quistis straightened herself to a half-sitting position. "Thanks." She smiled.  
  
"Hungry?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"You'll have to eat a bit anyway. You're too weak and soon we'll have to move from this place."  
  
"And where is this place?"  
  
"You're in a hotel room in Deling City. A damn fine hotel room if you ask me. You'll be recovering for a few days."  
  
"And after?"  
  
Seifer shrugged "I'd tell you if I knew. Don't worry about it, this is a long story that you don't need to hear right now. We need your memory back first."  
  
"And what if it doesn't come back?"  
  
"You're asking too much question, Trepe. Now, you sleep or you eat?"  
  
Quistis chose to skip the fact that 'Trepe' name didn't sounded more familiar than 'Quistis' in her head. "Then one last question."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Did we used to date before?"  
  
To her own amusement, the rough face turned red as a lobster. "Uuuhhh no, not really..."  
  
"Oh...okay then, I'll sleep." And without another word, Quistis rolled over and went to sleep.  
  
Seifer stayed still and very red for a few minutes, until Quistis' breathing showed she was really sleeping. He then proceeded to eat the lunch he had ordered for her, sitting in front of the open window. The rain poured very hard, it had been since he brought Quistis in the hotel room two days ago. Squall still hadn't contacted him. Garden was still out of reach. Calling Selphie or Irvine was too dangerous for them all, as it could be traced and have them discovered and drawn to martial court. His SeeD money was getting short, he would soon have to move from the hotel and find another place to hide Quistis until she healed.  
  
For the first time in years, Seifer secretly prayed to Hyne for help.  
  
  
  
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Thanks everyone for reviews! Me very happy girl tonight ^_^  
  
Dragon Princess Isis, I'm sorry for making you waiting so long, but here, they're finally reunited!  
  
Miss Dincht, Thanks a lot for both reviews on my stories! They got me all warmed up, just like a hug! Please update 'Celebrity' soon!  
  
Well well, on to chapter 10! 


	10. Noone to remember

**Disclaimer: Seifer is tied up in my basement. Squaresoft owns the rest * grins *  
  
  
  
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Chapter 10: No-one to remember  
  
  
  
The second morning came with the rain pouring even harder, an icy wind splattering the heavy drops against the windows. It produced an unsteady music, but somehow, Quistis found it oddly relaxing.  
  
She had been sleeping for at least fifteen hours now, and glanced at the bedside clock to discover noon had passed the flame to a young afternoon. The lightning was low in the room, which was also silent. Where was the blonde? Could he have left her there? Suddenly feeling a shard of panic, Quistis tried to sit up, groaning through clenched teeth when she discovered every muscle in her body seemed to have gone berserk while she was sleeping.  
  
"Here, don't overdo it, little girl." A pair of strong hand slid under her arms and hooked her up. Quistis gasped in surprise.  
  
"Where were you?" She asked, secretly thankful of course for his presence.  
  
"Right here. Where do you think I might have gone?" His tone was playful.  
  
"I don't know.nevermind."  
  
Seifer smiled at the perfect Instructor impression. In fact, he had been gone while she was sleeping this morning, to buy food for them and clothes for her, since she had nothing else than this horrible oversized white thing to wear. Of course he had to buy women underwear, under a shopkeeper's mocking stare. But as long as it was for her, he didn't care.  
  
"How do you feel?" He asked, pushing two pillows behind her back to steady her.  
  
"Good. Sore. But good."  
  
"You hungry?"  
  
"Maybe?"  
  
"I'll leave food near."  
  
"You're leaving??"  
  
This time Seifer had to laugh at her outraged tone, although she still tried to look like she didn't cared at all.  
  
"No, I won't. We have enough food and money for a couple of days. You want to change clothes?"  
  
Quistis slightly lifted the corner of the fluffy blanket up to see she had still the horrible white dress on, stained and ripped from the long travel on a chocobo's back-and luckily enough, Seifer's constant curses weren't sharps, otherwise not only the cloth, but herself too would have been reduced to shreds.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." And she shifted her body so her feet were touching the soft rug on the ground. She pushed her body up, only to fall back on the bed, her legs too weak to support her weight. A slight chuckle came from Seifer's throat before he stretched his hand in her direction. She gave him a death glare before accepting the help. Her cheeks were already flushed bright red from the shame of the situation, but Seifer simply led her to the small bathroom, where her clothes were already neatly folded and waiting. Quistis smiled at the panties and bra, quite too big for her. She stiffled a laughter at the oversized pink shirt with a ridiculous heart patch over the heart area. Happily enough, the jeans were just a hint too big, but hung nicely to her hips. Last part, a large piece of fabric laid under the clothes. Quistis picked it up and unfolded it, marveling at the beautifully drawn flowers imprinted on it, roses, in subtle tints of silver and grays. Puzzled, Quistis opened the door and held it in Seifer's direction, asking with liquid blue eyes. Seifer cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"That.for your head.in case you.you know?"  
  
Quistis' eyes grew wider. She turned back to the bathroom, and stood in front of the mirror, noticing for the first time her strange shaven head, which now harbored spiky blonde roots, except on the right side of her skull, where a rather large, purplish scar deformed the skin. Quistis brushed a tentative finger against the tortured skin and winced in pain. It was still raw, and probably infected. Then her vision went blurry, and she realized she was crying, tears gathering and flowing down only to be replaced as quickly. She didn't knew why she cried, but she hurt, deep inside a wound had opened, and she bled, she bled so hard she was suprised, looking down at her open hands, that they were not stained with crimson.  
  
Seifer's hand on her shoulder made her jump. She turned away from him, hiding her tears-marked face away from that man she knew had been a part of her life, but couldn't tell which. Seifer understood, and didn't force her to turn back to him. Instead, he took the piece of fabric from her clutching hands, and slowly wrapped it around the bruised skull, until nothing but creamy, perfect young skin showed. He tied the cloth a little down the nape of her neck. The long tail of fabric left slid graciously down her back, reminding of real hair.  
  
Seifer slid out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving her to her tears. There's nothing more a stranger could do to her.  
  
  
  
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Zell never looked more pure, nor more innocent, in his whole life. His usually bouncy nature had been totally neutralized by the action of the sickening whiteness and the drugs injected in his short body, and he sat straight as a piece of wood beside the small bed, his originally spiky hair laying flat on both side of his childish face. He stared at nothingness. He thought nothing.  
  
Squall wanted to die right now for not being able to get his lover out of this mess yet. He wanted to be at Zell's side right now, rather than having to watch him from afar with scan spells. But he had no choice. Squall Leonhart's face was amongst the most known faces in whole Gaia right now, contrary of Seifer, whose acts as a Sorceress knight had been mostly hid and forgotten since his readmission in Garden, and his graduation. Trying to fit in the place in hope to snatch Zell like Seifer did with Quistis was useless. He had to find a better way.  
  
And he had to do it quickly. It would soon be his third day of relentless wandering around the ranch. He had been sighting quite a few strange things, most of them still unexplained to him. He looked like shit, smelled the same, and mostly fed on grass and water, like a cow. Hyne, he was beginning to feel like one.  
  
Slowly, Squall rose from the ground where he had hidden, under a wood rack, while he scanner his lover's state. Zell was alive, but he was slowly losing it. Zell was strong, but he was the kind to lose hope easily, and without anybody to support him, Squall had no doubt he wouldn't last long. Zell would prefer to die rather than having to live a life he couldn't lead. He had told that to Squall many times.  
  
But how could Squall make his way through the place looking for him? Shave his head then dive in? His scar would give everyone a hint. Trying to hide his face would give everyone a hint. Here, all alone, there were absolutely no ways he could help his lover. And he swore not to leave this place without him.  
  
So now, what?  
  
  
  
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Allen had woken up at the first rays of dawn, unable to sleep but unable to stay awake, his mind constantly drifting between dream world and the cold air of his bedroom. This place was always chilly, as inhabited by its own angry spirit. The boy never understood why, but that anger seemed to target him. That's why he never spent much time in this place. When he wanted to paint, he'd paint outside the room, on the small balcony that was next to his room, and where he slept when the nights were hot. He had wanted the night before, when the presence in the room started to melt on him, so hardly he almost felt crushed. But rain poured hard outside, all night, and still fell like it wanted to drown everything.  
  
Sighting, he had to admit nothing could bring him back to rest, and threw the heavy covers off his body, which instantly covered in chills. He sat up on the mattress, waiting for his head to clear. Out of the window that was directly over his bedpost, Allen silently watched his mom's worker sweat and swear trying to move farm devices through the running mud.  
  
The very moment his toes touched the icy floor, he knew this day was gonna be a shitty one. He ran to his bathroom and swiftly turned the water very hot, releasing his bladders and brushing his teeth while the tub filled with steamy liquid. He then immersed his pale body into the tub, instantly turning a nice lobster red. The scar on his head started to ache. No matter how he tried and no matter how many curaga spells his mother used on it, the wound never healed properly, and the red colour never faded as it was supposed to do. As much as the boy tried to forget the ugly mark on him, his mind constantly drifted back to it. Mother never properly explained the circumstances of that moment, when he fell down the pier and blacked out. And with the time, just as the scar, that sick feeling that something was wrong kept lingering in his head.  
  
The clock on the wall in front of him indicated near six. He had promised to meet Erin at ten, near Obel Lake. She wanted to go fishing again, but on a boat this time. Little foolish girl. He had to make sure he'd find a life jacket for her, as he learned the day before that Erin never learned how to swim. This, of course, had been kept hidden to him until she fell down the small platform where they stood, in her utter joy of catching her first trout.  
  
Allen remembered how he couldn't believe his own sight, as she laughed like mad when he pulled her out of the water, all fear and panic forgotten and still holding to the fish for her dear life. At this very moment he had known this treasure was never going to leave his side, as long as he was going to live.  
  
But right now, the water was cooling up, he was wrinkled and hungry. The usual sound of his mother working in the kitchen was missing and, as he walked out of the bathroom with a long towel hanging low on his waist, he noticed the usual golden light creeping from under the door was also missing. Silent and dark, the house seemed out of time.  
  
Allen quickly slid a pair of fading blue jeans and a too large black long- sleeved shirt over his chilly body, then two pairs of socks, and a loose necklace with a dragonfly-shaped steel pendant. The door and floor unpleasantly creaked in the silence of the place. Allen walked up to the kitchen and lit the room up, golden light flowing along with the feeling of reassurance he needed. Outside, the wind had started blowing with strenght, shoving the heavy droplets against the window. Where did his mother go, in such a crappy weather? Allen thought, for a short moment, about cancelling the fishing trip with his little pixie. But she would probably insist upon going anyway, so he better get his breakfast quick, put his raincoat on and go fumble in the mud pit the place had turned into for the life jacket. If he found out they hadn't any, he would have to make one out of anything- even if he had to sew Hyne-damned barrels together for that purpose.  
  
Right after breakfast, Allen put his rubber boots on and plastic yellow raincoat, and headed outside. He was actually surprised to discover the violent rain was actually pretty warm. Many of the workers outside had not even put a raincoat on, and preferred to simply shed their clothes and work in their underpants. Allen walked a few meters before choosing to at least get rid of the annoying material of the raincoat and let his clothes get soaked.  
  
A good hour later, he emerged swearing from the last barn. Nothing he found could get close to a life jacket. They had been living near one of the biggest lake on Gaia for years and there was not even one life jacket in the whole place?  
  
The last thing Allen wanted was to have to walk up to the two last places where he could find his 'treasure', two small storage areas deep in the woods where he knew the men had been piling stuff for years. He dared not even to think about what kind of creatures could live in this place, but assumed no Marlboros could have make their ways up there. With this in mind, the boy started to climb the hill, his worn out rubber boots slipping in the clay mud until he decided to take them off too and continue barefoot. The cool slippery ground felt good under his feet, and soon enough he also took off his drenched shirt to let the goodness of heaven water. The storage barns were situated quite far from the main place, Hyne knew why. He actually never had to go up there.  
  
The light grew a little bit brighter, and the rain a little bit lighter, as the boy entered the woods up the hill. Small wood sticks with pink ribbons showed to way to the clearing where he knew the barns stood. Allen smiled and resumed it's way, starting to seriously delight at the feel of rain on his body and soft squishy ground under his feet. The whole scene had a surreal taste, just like his own life, sometimes.  
  
It took him a good hour to reach the place. He walked slowly, not really wanting this trip to end. But eventually, the dark forms of the two wood buildings appeared through the trees. They were middle-sized buildings with steel roofs and no windows. The ground around them seemed to have been recently moved, as all trace of grass was gone, and his feet easily sank in the sandy texture. Allen walked to the closest barn and walked in. He was actually VERY surprised to find it completely empty, except for a single tractor with a huge shovel, and some tarpaulins laying in a corner. Even more surprising, the ground seemed to have been moved in the exact way he saw outside in the clearing. Not thinking too much of it-they could be doing some cleaning after all- the boy walked back out and to the other building. The scene was similar, except the small tractor there had a trailed attached to it, with a tarpaulin covering its content. Allen had seen many of these around the place, their content most of the time hidden like this one. He never thought about what could be under the white plastic sheet, but this time curiosity won over the rest and he walked up to the trailer and undid the several ties that kept the tarpaulin tight shut. The plastic crunched as it was moved backwards, revealing.  
  
A pair of cold eyes.  
  
Allen jerked away with a gasp. The hand that he used to reveal that horror instantly hid behind his back. The face of the dead woman seemed to have been frozen in deep horror, the blueish colour of the skin causing his stomach to painfully tighten. His gaze moved from the woman to the shuffled ground, the link finally done. Without thinking, Allen fell on his knees and started digging with his bare hands, until his fingers touched something squishy and cold, a breast. A dead breast, belonging to yet another dead woman.  
  
Hyne.a common grave.the whole's place a fucking common grave.  
  
The clearing.the squishy feeling under his feet.he had been walking on cadavers, maybe hundreds of them.  
  
Allen's gaze moved from the half-dug corpse to the woman's glazed stare. He then remembered seeing her walk around the place, working in his mother's rather large garden, or sitting around with a sad or pained look. Who was she? What was her purpose on this Gaia? He would never know. Nor her.  
  
Pushing away his fear and disgust, Allen grabbed the plastic and ripped it away from the trailer. The cadavers, piled in grotesque poses, appeared, along with a foul stench of death. Allen recognized a few faces, then walked to the back of the trailer to look at the remaining ones. His chest tightened in anticipation.  
  
Then he couldn't breathe anymore. As hard as he tried, his lungs refused to follow, as if they already decided that since she was no longer here, he couldn't live anymore. He had somehow half-waited to see her like this, although a part of him refused to accept this possibility, and now refused to recognise the small white-dressed cadaver as hers. Refused to recognise the long blond hair, the pouty lips, the half-closed pale eyes. Amongst all those terrorized faces, she seemed in peace. Maybe her death wasn't painful at all. Small consolation. Tears-filled eyes soon made the image too blurry to recognize, offering him a bit of relief. In the aching half-dream, he saw his own hands reach over to the lifeless child, gather the still slightly warm body in his arms, and walk out of the barn. His swirling mind had settled into one steady idea: find her a grave, a grave just for her, where no-one but him could come and think about only her.  
  
The rain had almost stopped, a weak but still warm sun greeted him. He walked out and away from the clearing, and deep into the woods he barely knew. He walked out of time and over the ground, having cast haste and float on himself to hide the hypothetical traces he could leave behind him. Maybe an hour, maybe two, maybe more passed. The heavy clouds had come back to cover the skies and hide the sun's position to the boy's careless eyes. Finally, the sound of running water came to his ears, as he approached one of the small rivers connected to Obel Lake. only when the water was in view, did he stopped and laid his burden on the ground. Without a look back to Erin, Allen searched for the perfect burial place, until he found a raised spot, where an old tree bent over the water. On his knees, he plunged his hands in the humid ground and dug. His fingers soon encountered rocks and roots, and his own blood mixed with the mud. The pain was probably sharp, but he didn't felt it. Finally, the tortured flesh pushed for a last time and he stood. Erin's now cold and stiff body was tenderly nudged in the hole.  
  
The young boy closed his eyes before starting to fill the hole. He started out quickly, then slowed down once the painful sight of her dead form was no longer detectable through the coat of dirt. Ten minutes later, he scattered dead leaves and sticks over the tapped ground, and cast another float spell on him before taking a few steps back, making sure absolutely no signs of the grave, nor of his passage there, could be seen.  
  
Then, and only then, did he allowed himself to shatter in pieces.  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Oookay...so I am a heartless bitch :) Please no flaming 'kay? I created Erin's character in the purpose of killing her. She was meant to be a trigger.  
  
As always, my love and hugs to my faithful readers and reviewers ;) thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks!! 


	11. Path of redemption

*Disclaimer* THEY OWNS ME! ALL OF THEM! I SWEAR!!!  
  
  
  
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Chapter 11: Path of redemption  
  
Alitas sighed and moved to pour herself another cup of coffee. It was her fifth since she had came to the small, comfy kitchen, at the point of dawn. The caffeine had since long ago stopped affecting her, but she needed the warmth and the familiar smell of the infusion she used to share with her boy every morning, or before he had to leave for a hunt. His goodbye kisses always strongly smelled of coffee  
  
Allen. Her stomach churned at the thought of her son, and she had to briefly stand over the sink in case her frugal breakfast needed to get back to its origins. Allen had disappeared two days ago, while she was away inspecting the new aura-filtering facilities. She had found his bed made and empty, his belongings still there. Even the small backpack he always brought with him when hunting was still in the corner.  
  
But night succeeded to day and then morning and he didn't show. For the hundredth time, the sorceress cursed herself for refusing to use her own blood and eggs in the process of his birth. Back then, she thought only a fair amount of her aura would do, and she needed minimum DNA relativeness for her future plans. Without any DNA bonding, it was impossible for her to keep track of her son. But Allen had always been a perfect, obedient child, and she never actually felt the need to keep him on a tight leash. She cursed herself again. She needed him. For several small reasons-his smiles, constant sweetness, his reassuring being, his total understanding of her personality- and for two big ones:  
  
The first reason was, she would soon have gathered enough aura to give her life to her project. Right now, a few chosen scientists were working at refining the huge amount of aura gathered through Allen's travelings, and eliminating the last drops of memories and emotions contained in it, so it wouldn't affect Alitas's mind when injected into her. But such an unimaginable amount of magical power would have to be passed through a catalyst before entering her, otherwise her brain would end up fried like a chocobo legs. Allen, who shared the same aura as her, was the only one with the catalyst ability. He would take the magic flow inside him and redirect it to her. None of them would be hurt. Both of them would gain great powers. He was, of course, unaware of all this. Telling him would mean confessing she was merely robbing aura from the people he thought she was helping.  
  
The second tore her heart in two every time she thought about it, since Allen disappeared. She needed Allen for her future, just like she had needed the man who was his father, and who died in full glory, in a (feu d'artifice) of beauty. Since she hadn't been able to bring this man into her bed, and to be loved by him, she planned to have the son instead. Her seductive, young features she wore were a trap, set to get him. She couldn't mistake the early signs of puberty on him-the rougher voice, the defining muscles on his arms, shoulder and chest, although he didn't seem to notice them yet. In the innocent childish face, she could see that other man starting to emerge. That other man who refused her and thought he could get away with it.  
  
"Anyway, it shouldn't matter right now", she thought brushing away the memories and the uneasy feeling coming with them. After the aura transfer, their mutual bond would be enforced, and he would have to grow up a few more years before she'd get to seduce him. Maybe she'd have to erase his memory before she tried. And then she'd have a faithful, strong knight beside her, forever.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
A Headmaster's life has to be exactly like a Galbadian clock-flawless, fluid and well-seen. Cid Kramer already knew those three fundamental principles, having them beaten up into his skull by he loved and very persistent wife, Edea Kramer, former sorceress and now peaceful-looking magic teacher in Balamb Garden. After the end of the second sorceress war, Edea had chosen to quit her lonely life at the orphanage and join her husband in the rebuilding of the Garden's bases, along with the project of a new Garden based in Centra, where a serious monster population kept growing. She intended in creating several new classes of SeeD, making them less and less specialized, and ready to work in any condition. Blue SeeDs were their first attempt, and so far it worked very well. Hopes were very high to eventually turn SeeDs into a world army of peace maintenance, along with various other mercenary jobs.  
  
Cid had taken his role as Headmaster of a growing SeeD community with force and pride, as always. However, the man was aging, and his solid, healthy principles were not necessarily appreciated amongst the young people who had to live with them. Edea knew, as she shared their life in most of Garden's places, as a teacher, a member of the community, and as a confident sometimes. Most students already forgave her for what she did during the sorceress war. It was easy, for those kids who ran around wearing powerful GFs in their brains, to understand the idea of being possessed. The kids were, for the most part, orphans, who grew up without the normal amount of love and care a child should receive. The rule that forbid bonding and love relationships between them weighted hard on their shoulders. Edea tried several times to talk her husband into changing his mind. But he was old-fashioned, and too proud to admit his wrongs. At first she found that charming.  
  
Lately, Cid has been annoying the life out of her.  
  
It wasn't a one-day thing. It started gradually. The man she shared so much with slowly lost its appeal to her eyes. Maybe it was because they weren't used to see that much of each other. Cid always stayed at Garden while she ran the orphanage. But they both hated it. They hated to be separated, and cried every time Cid had to go back to Garden. His short visits had always been the highlight of her life.  
  
Did she missed that? She couldn't say. Her mind have been hazy lately, like she wasn't getting enough sleep. Still she slept a good ten hours per night, as she always did. Most of the time she slept alone, Cid being too taken by the Garden affairs to really mind sleeping. For a long time it worried her. Now it wasn't. She even caught herself thinking about his death, and what she would do afterwards, with a kind of serenity that only accompanied liberation. It scared her so much she actually had to take a day off and stay in bed, sorting carefully through her feeling for her husband.  
  
In the kitchen they rarely shared but where all of his husband's neals were prepared by her loving hands, Edea placed the plate of fish and mashed vegetables on the table, careful about not burning her delicate fingers on it. The hidden compartment in the cutlery drawer slid open, then shut, empty.  
  
Methodically, moved by habit, she repeated the choreography she had to repeat every day for a while. Open the vial. Count exactly five drops. Pour the drops in the meal. Mix well so the purplish color of the liquid can't be noticed. Sniff the meal to make sure the liquid's smell is not noticeable. Hope Cid won't comment that his dinner 'tastes funny' like he once did one day she had forced the dose.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Two days ago, he still had some clothes left, and sanity. But now, he could hardly even remember how to put a foot in front of the other. The sharp pain of his shredded feet was no longer going to his brain, so he simply ignored it, although he left a trail of blood on his path now that his last float spell had been used.  
  
All of this, he hadn't cared about, anyway. He was reduced to a wandering shadow, with deep blue spots under his eyes, and a full set of various bruises and cuts scattered all over his body. For two day he had lived like this, swearing he would never see the familiar world of his mother again. But as time passed, split open between pain, anger, hunger and longing for the warmth of his only family. He was just a kid, after all. And the love his mother held for him has been the only important thing for so long.  
  
Those thoughts kept repeating, like a loop. One minute he loathed the woman like the most vile monster in the world, but the minute after he longed and cried to get back in her arms. And, without knowing it, his footsteps started leading him back to the only place where he belonged.  
  
He had been staring at the wine-colored roofs for more than a hour, still trying to sort out his feelings, to decide whether or not he should go back to her. He was in a state that could easily be explained by a well-made story. He could pretend he'd gotten lost in the wood, or have been attacked by the monsters that still lives in the forest but rarely approach the inhabited part. His mother would swallow everything like chocolate, and everything would be back like the old times.  
  
But did he wanted that? Did he wanted to go back to his old bedroom, in his old bed, like nothing happened, knowing people kept dying around him?  
  
But did he wanted to be all alone?  
  
Allen slowly hung his head until the chin hit his chest. He let out a long, shaky sigh  
  
And then he felt the sharp, cold edge of a large sword against his nape.  
  
"You have five minutes to make peace with Hyne before I fucking take your head back to my quarters." A low voice snarled in his ear.  
  
Passed the initial moment of terror, Allen finally thought that death was an acceptable choice in the situation, and held still, waiting for the blow to come and pull him out of his misery. Unable to control them anymore, all the tears he had kept unshed since Erin's death gathered and exploded. He let them flow like a deliverance, not even thinking about wiping them off. To his own surprise, the blade sliced a bit through his skin, and was removed. Instead, a strong, leather covered hand gripped his throat and turned him over to face the stranger's face.  
  
Bright moonstone eyes, reddened by apparent lack of sleep, flared at him. If they had been bullets he's been drop dead in the second, but the man just stood there, probably searching for the most painful way to kill the boy. The other hand held a gunblade tightly, knuckles white. Chocolate braids fell over his face.  
  
"You're the one who too Quistis away." The man said, not a question. Allen had no idea who Quistis was, but he knew he was the one who snatched her. Just like everyone else in this place.  
  
"Yeah." He finally croaked through the thin air he could get in his lungs "Forgive me."  
  
"I am not forgiving you."  
  
"I understand. Please believe me when I say I had no idea of what I was doing. It doesn't change anything, I know. But I need you to at least believe this. Now kill me. I can't handle it any more."  
  
Silence followed his words, then green sparkles surrounded the weeping boy. Curaga that instantly closed his wounds, rested his tired and devastated body. Then something else-a buzzing inside his head, and a slight yellowish color added to his vision. Scan. The man was scanning through him to find any trace of lies. And apparently didn't find any, as his hold on his throat disappeared.  
  
"What.." Allen began  
  
"No fucking way I'm letting you out of my sight, boy." The brunette cut him. "But if you're telling the truth, I know a way to make up for everything you did."  
  
"Anything. Ask."  
  
Squall couldn't help a small frown at the kid's honest docility  
  
"Okay.there a guy named Zell Dincht in the facilities. I want him out and beside me in an hour. Do you think it's possible?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then go."  
  
"Wait. Can I ask for something?"  
  
Squall scowled at the boy, who seemed to shrink at the irritated glare. "What?" He spat.  
  
"Take me away from here. Take me with you."  
  
Squall was two seconds from knocking the kid senseless for asking such a thing. But he somewhat got a second look at his tears-streaked face and reality struck him that he hadn't found any trace of lies in his little head. The pain was one hundred percent genuine and for once, Squall felt strong empathy. Hadn't he felt that bad when Ellone went away? When time compression swallowed everyone he knew and he found himself all alone again?  
  
".Okay. I will. Now go and get him. I'm waiting here."  
  
Allen nodded and let a rare smile slip, then he ran down the hill.  
  
  
  
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Seifer was sitting on the corner of the bed, drinking in the sight of Quistis sleeping. Although it wasn't very late in the afternoon, she kept asking for naps and he hadn't the heart to refuse them to her. Slowly, he reached up and touched the tip of the cloth that covered her skull, making sure it was in place. Quistis still couldn't endure the sight of her naked head, but the thick locks of golden blonde hair he had known were finally starting to grown back out. She was still weak, but eating normally, had small talk conversation, and even remembered a few things, like where Balamb was, and bits of the battle against Ultimecia. Seifer's ego was still hurt she couldn't remember him. He had spent all those years making her life impossible for the sole purpose that she could NEVER forget him, and those damn brain-suckers had done it in less than a week.  
  
Tomorrow. Tomorrow night they would have to leave the hotel room and find something else. He had no idea what, but he hadn't announced it to her yet. She was like a child, needing someone to hold on to in everything. And even though she tried to act like the bossy instructor she used to be, Seifer knew it was only out of instinct. She couldn't even remember her instructor days.  
  
Quistis let out a shaky sigh in her sleep, followed by a whimpering noise. Seifer instantly was at her side, waiting for the blow to come. It wasn't the first time Quistis had nightmares, and she usually ended up in a violent state where she would hit everything within her reach, then she would cry her heart out for maybe half an hour.  
  
The whimpering slowly grew into yells, until she sprang up and ran out of the bed, only wearing an oversized T-shirt. Apparently not knowing that she ran, she crashed against a wall and collapsed, boneless, on the ground. At first surprised by the ususual violence of her reaction, Seifer soon followed her and kneel beside her, and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, hearing her ragged breath. Quistis angrily shook his hand off her shoulder  
  
"Don't try this with me, Almasy!" she snarled in his direction.  
  
Seifer was about to use one of his cocky replies when he remembered he never told his last name to the amnesic woman.  
  
"W-what?" He stammered.  
  
"You heard me! Get off!"  
  
"Hey will you calm the fuck down?"  
  
"Calm the fuck down? You fucking cost me my instructor license, you dumb fuck!!"  
  
That's when Seifer decided to ignore the insult, and ask questions instead.  
  
"Quis, what exactly do you remember from the past days?"  
  
"You fuck."  
  
"SHUT UP! That's important Quis! Where do you think you are? And when?"  
  
"Stupid jerk, we're." She cut her sentence short, realizing the disposition of the furniture was all wrong, so was the scenery out of the window.  
  
"where are we? This isn't Garden."  
  
"What is the last thing you remember?" Seifer asked again.  
  
"...time compression? That void..and silence..Am I just waking up from it?"  
  
Seifer couldn't believe what he heard. He swore his ears were burning.  
  
"Time compression was nearly four months ago, Quis."  
  
"Four months ago?"  
  
"Almost."  
  
"Then where am I?"  
  
Seifer's head fell onto his open hands, he signed to loud it almost tore his throat.  
  
Explain..Explain what? She was supposed to hold the key to our problem!  
  
Another look at Quistis' innocent eyes, stretched to perfect round orbs of azure killed him even more. So they were two in the dark now.  
  
  
  
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The boy's presence went unnoticed, as always, when he slid into the first storage area and retrieved some dirty clothe to cover himself with. He had almost nothing left from his wandering in the woods, and needed to look as fresh and equilibrated if he wanted the people in the facilities to believe his story. He needed the people outside not to see him, knowing they would go directly to his mom. The longer she would think he was dead, the safer everyone would be.  
  
Allen couldn't help the wince at the awful smell coming from the clothes. It smelled like sweat and dirty oil, with a hint of.blood? He ran to the nearest window and examinated the fabric at the light. Dark red and brown stains covered the kaki clothes. Allen's head spun like a spinning top until he fell on his knees and threw up everything his stomach managed to gather in the last few hours. Not even bothering to stand up afterwards he quickly stripped the offensive garment off and chose a new one, making sure this time it was reasonably blood-free.  
  
If only he had gone through the storage areas sooner.  
  
Shrugging the dark thoughts one last time, Allen composed a reasonably carefree face for himself, the one he used to wear around the place two days ago. Satisfied, he pulled the garment's hood over his too-recognizable bald head and got out. The rain was pouring again, making the muddy land even muddier and more slippery, happily enough, since the people around were too busy screaming and trying to stand straight to check on him. The boy quietly walked to the barn where people whose family name began by A to F lived. He knocked twice on the door, then waited two seconds before knocking three more times. The door immediately slid open, and a jovial- looking, middle-aged blonde nurse smiled down at him.  
  
"There you are!"  
  
"Yeah, I just come back from the house. Mom was very relieved to see me." Allen forced a naïve smile out, to emphasize his words. "Poor Madam was worried to death, she turned every rock around here in hope you could be hiding under! Where have you been?"  
  
"Got lost in the woods. You know I love them, but I got scared by a Wendigo and ran without looking back."  
  
The nurse tsk'ed.  
  
"Anyway, I need to get one of your residents. Mom said it was important."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Yeah, apparently he is a SeeD and mom want his frends to know he is here."  
  
The nurse smiled, nodding twice with horribly fake confidence  
  
Liar, you liar, just like everyone else, how come I never saw you were just playing a role? You're such a bad liar, you deserve to die, to have your guts rip-  
  
"What's his name?" the warm, confident voice broke his trail of deadly thoughts.  
  
"Dincht. Zell Dincht."  
  
"Ah yes, pretty little blonde. I'll go get him."  
  
The boy smiled and settled his body against the doorway, still stressed to death but doing his best not to show it. He had to work hard not to jump at every noise he heard behind him.  
  
After several minutes of killing stress, the nurse came back with Dincht, holding his hand like she was bringing a child to his mother. Allen shivered-the man's eyes were empty, and slightly swollen from lack of sleep and maybe-just maybe- from tears. He was wearing the usual white stuff, and sneakers. The nurse made him sit on a chair the time to put some rubber boots over his shoes, then pushed him gently toward the kid.  
  
"Here, you're going to follow mister Oran. He'll bring you back before dinner."  
  
The blonde man nodded and confidently took Allen's hand. The boy shuddered, but smiled none-the-less and brought the man out with him.  
  
"Bye!" he carelessly waved to the nurse while she closed the door behind them. Zell followed.  
  
Allen started breathing again as soon as he didn't felt the nurse's gaze on him anymore. Then he started walking quicker. Every second counted.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Fate wanted that Alitas chose this exact moment to stand up from her seat beside the table and looked out the window at the angry skies and the pouring rain. The flash of white clothes instantly caught her eyes, as she wondered what on holy hell this guy was doing outside alone, then noticed the short dark body that led him away from her sigh. Something immediatly looked wrong to her. She couldn't recognize the dark form through the heavy clothing, but he/she has a special way to walk. A slight limping seemed to affect his/her right legs, just like...  
  
Just like Allen, who had gotten his right leg stuck between two logs while helping piling them, several months ago, and was still recovering.  
  
She ran to the door.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
He was actually starting to believe he might get through it without a sweat. Zell was a docile as he was silent, and the few people that still dared to face the angry tears of the clouds were doing it running to the nearest shelter, especially when the first thunderbolt ripped the sky open. Allen jumped too, he always hated thunderstorm, and was positively frightened of loud noises. He tried to get to run, but the dumb man behind him kept sticking his feet in the mud and mumbling apologies each time it happened. The fumbling pair finally reached the limit of the barns area when a loud noise, that had nothing to do with thunder. It was yelling, loud yelling, and it seemed to follow his path. Briefly, he looked over his shoulder: A bunch of men, led by his mother, fought against the slippery ground to reach him.  
  
He ran. Hoping Zell would be able to follow he ran without even a though about the utter hopelessness of the situation. He ran almost blinded by the water in his eyes, not knowing whether they were teardrops or raindrops.  
  
Zell beside him fell and he had to stop to pull him back on his feet. The voices behind him almost licked his back as he started to run again, he swore he could feel their breath on his back. He knew it would be over in a few seconds. Zell would die and he would probably follow.  
  
Another loud noise, this time a squeak that vaguely sounded like "Wark!" and a flash of yellow. A large bird was running in front of him, speeding down to reach the pair. Strong hands beside him grabbed Zell and lifted his limp form across the bird. Allen lifted his gaze to meet the familiar angry moonstone eyes. They were burning through him.  
  
Allen knew that the man would leave him there and run away. The chocobo started to separate from him.  
  
More tears gathered, sad at first, then relieved as the leather-clad hands finally drifted down and grabbed him by the collar. Allen marveled at the strenght of the man wh simply lifted him like a bag of potatoes, and threw him beside Zell, his body laying across the bird's body.  
  
A thunderbolt tore the skies again, illuminating the unreal scenery. Without a word, Allen kissed his old life goodbye and closed his eyes, breathing the new scent of freedom and, just maybe, the sweetest hint of redemption.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Whew! Please excuse the time it took me to finish this chapter, but school doesn't allow fooling around at the end of the semester :)  
  
And, just in case, I am not giving up Wings of Forgiveness! I know I haven't updated that fic in ages, but most of my inspiration was for Iron Roses and since I didn't have the time to work on both fic...  
  
Expect the next update to be for Wings. Promise (oh I shouldn't promise...) 


	12. An interlude

Disclaimer: If Squaresoft was a pawn shop, they would be mine. But Squaresoft is a lot bigger than me :P  
  
Warning: Lots of dialogs in this one. Am I turning my fic into a soap opera? We'll see *grins*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Chapter 12 : An interlude  
  
Allen couldn't remember being loaded in the train, but he felt incredibly good when he woke up feeling the movements of the wagon under his back, and the distinct roaring of the engine. Every minute led him farter away from her. Carefully, he stretched and grunted when he felt the muscles of his stomach and legs scream in anger. Another body, dangerously close to him, stirred beside his right arm, and his eyes shot open.  
  
The body stirred again and groaned loudly while it rolled on the side, and almost on top of him. A bunch of lump, dirty blonde hair fell on his face as the other man settled his head against Allen's shoulder, his powerful arm moving to cuddle against his side, and went back to his light snoring. Allen didn't move, but blushed furiously searching for an escape with eyes as round as dinner plates. Out of his vision, he heard a foot tap and a slight chuckle, something that betrayed amusement, but definitely not good mood.  
  
"Cute. Don't make yourself hopes, kid, he's mine." The unmistakable voice of the gunblade-man grunted behind him. The boy twisted his neck to cast a glance at the leather-clad man, who was sitting on a bench near the window, gunblade on his lap. His legs loosely crossed straightened as soon as the boy seemed to want to get up. Allen stood frozen and stared at the point of the menacing weapon, purposely held right under his chin. The man's glare could have shot bullets, that's for sure.  
  
"You don't move until we read Deling City."  
  
"But I have to pee!" Allen whined in all his thirteen-years-old glory.  
  
"You can piss all over yourself if you want."  
  
"And all over him too?" Allen motioned to the sleeping blonde cuddling him like a Teddy Bear.  
  
The man's eyes narrowed, and his lips retreated to a thin line, but the blade finally retreated from his throat, allowing him to breathe freely again. A gloved hand grabbed his wrist painfully and pulled him out of bed, in the direction of the small restroom. Much to the boy's surprise, the tall scowling man entered with him, and pushed him unceremoniously in the toilet's direction, while he kept his face turned to the nearby wall. Allen wanted to jump in the bowl and flush himself down, but he shakily managed to do what he had to do, without aiming wrong but not without a couple very offensive words from the man about the time he took to finish such a simple task. Sincerely terrorized, Allen let himself be drawn out of the restroom, and thrown again on the bed while the gundlader returned to his seat and settled the weapon back on his knees. Snuggle boy beside Allen didn't seem annoyed the slightliest bit about the interruption, and simply puts his arms back around the boy's chest, and rest his head on his shoulder. Well it actually felt nice.  
  
"Is he drugged?" The rough voice asked.  
  
"I don't know. I never knew how my mother threat them. But it's a possibility. Another one would be that his mental capacities have been magically diminished. In that case the brain damage can be permanent."  
  
The man's breath caught, but he didn't say anything else. The train continued its course, and the warm breath of the blonde continued to beat against the youth's skin, giving him some kind of comfort, but knowing it wouldn't last. Allen had no idea what awaited for him in Deling. The gunblade-man openly displayed his hatred for him. Of course he had reasons. But Hyne, he was just a boy. Most of all this still escaped his understanding. He still had no idea what happened in the facilities his mother owned. He wasn't allowed to enter those places. He knew nothing. Would they torture him in hope to get information he didn't even got close to? Probably. For now, the idea of suffering wasn't as bad as he thought it would be-he had suffered a lot in the past days, and would probably still suffer in the upcoming days. No big deal.  
  
The blonde's body shifted again, lightly turning to the other side, his arms leaving him. Almost immediately, the boy shifted too and wrapped his arms around him. The presence comforted him, and the blonde-Zell?-would probably hate him too as soon as he'd be back to his normal self.  
  
Well, that was if he ever went back to his normal self.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
"..I don't have the slightliest memory of that." Quistis' voice dripped with incredulity. She was nervously playing with the long cloth that covered her skull.  
  
"It happened. You disappeared and was brought to that farm near Obel Lake."  
  
"I should remember if it happened."  
  
"And you also should have remembered you were with us at the orphanage years ago."  
  
Quistis straightened in the bed, glaring daggers. "It was the GFs. I haven't been junctionned since Time Compression."  
  
"I told you they conducted some experiments on you. I saw they had a needle plounged in your brain."  
  
"Yeah, or so you say."  
  
"Are you implying I lied to you?"  
  
"That could be considered."  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
"Fuck you back."  
  
"I hate you." Seifer knew it was only true for that conversation, and so was quite pained to see his declaration didn't seem to hurt Quistis' feelings.  
  
"I hear that." Quistis crossed her arms and turned her face away from his gaze, watching the damn rain trickle down the window. So damned stubborn.  
  
"Won't you ever trust me?"  
  
She kept her face turned away, but answered. "I have no reason to trust you. You never showed me anything but malevolence."  
  
Seifer was beginning to think that the amnesiac Quistis was far better than the real one, but kept his mouth shut for once.  
  
"When will you bring me back to Garden?" She said, bringing her eyes back on his.  
  
"Hopefully you will be admitted back in there, but I can't go back. Me, Zell and Squall have been expelled a few days before we dragged you back from Obel."  
  
"What?? What in Hyne's love happened?"  
  
Seifer sighed. How he wished he never got into that conversation. "Well it's a long story but I'll only say that we decided to search for you against Cid's will and were all punished for it. I used my Blue SeeD rank to initiate the search. Now if we ever get back to Garden, or give a hint of where we are, we risk martial court and the likes. So you can go back, but only if you swear on your life that we won't have to worry about you spilling out the beans."  
  
".That doesn't sounds like Cid at all."  
  
"Yeah, but he changed a lot after Time Compression."  
  
".So you made it to SeeD?"  
  
"Damn right! Surprised, Instructor?"  
  
"..Not that much. And you went to search for me first?"  
  
"Mhm."  
  
"Well.that's a side of you I've definitely missed back then."  
  
"Everyone changes. Not necessarily for the best, but they do."  
  
"Wow.are they the words of the Sorceress' lapdog?"  
  
Seifer's face went sour.  
  
"You can't know what it was like."  
  
"How was it?"  
  
Seifer smiled, surprised of her sudden interest. "You really do want to know?"  
  
"Yes" was her firm response.  
  
"Well.I was floating in a dream. The moment she took me away with her, she was nothing but a motherly figure for me. She never threat me bad, never got angry against me.she was sweet, and understanding, even when I failed her.I felt like I should have felt if I had a family.I would have done everything for her. I deserve the blame, but never in my life I have been happier than during those weeks spent with Ultimecia."  
  
"."  
  
"You are blaming me, aren't you?"  
  
".well, yes. But I think I understand your motive. But you killed."  
  
"Yeah, I did. And I would have killed all of you. I aren't trying to defend Ultimecia here. But she truly made me happy, and that's why I stayed. And I think she might have gotten any of us. She chose me because I was in the right place, in the right moment, not because I was a stupid arrogant bastard. Well, not only because of it.Ah damn it!"  
  
Quistis lightly laughed. "You make sense."  
  
"Tsk."  
  
"I don't know if I want to go back to Garden knowing that Cid is...changed."  
  
"Well you will have to make a decision pretty soon, because I am running out of money. In fact we might have to leave by tomorrow."  
  
Quistis' breath caught. "Leave??"  
  
"This is a hotel. I am running out of money, and trying to enter my SeeD bank account will tell them where I am."  
  
"Where will you go?"  
  
"If I only knew.that's why you should go back to Garden Quis.you're weak and you can't remember a thing.we could make up a believable story so Cid wouldn't suspect anything"  
  
"yes.but where's Squall and Zell?"  
  
"I.I don't know. Zell was at the same place you were, and Squall stayed to get him out too.and that's all.Just hope nothing bad happened to any of them."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Edea straightened her classy dark blue skirt before opening the door of the room she shared with her husband. As always, her presence in the hallways was greeted with a flock of salutations from the students and Instructors. Edea smiled warmly at every of them, as she knew every name in the book, and cared for most of them. Carelessly pushing a raven-with-salt lock behind her hear, Edea walked down the main hallway to the Infirmary, where doctor Kadowaki was busy holding a junior student down while Rinoa, her helper since she decided to settle down in Garden, slid a cloth wet with a disinfectant over a bleeding gash that went from the boy's shoulder down to his navel. The poor child screamed his lungs out and nearly passed out when Kadowaki, with the skill she was known for, methodically used a pair of tiny pliers to remove pieces of wood, sand, and other dirt from the wound. Once it was clean t her liking, the boy's face was slowly turning from gray to green, but then she motioned to Rinoa, who put one of her slender hands on the student's chest and activated a cure spell. Amplified by the sorceress' magical abilities, the spell washed through his body like a thunderbolt, and the wound immediately closed without leaving even the smallest trace. Blood seemed to flow back in the child's body, giving his cheeks a healthy rosy color, as a sleep spell hit him and sent him into deep slumber.  
  
"Here.done. Thanks again, Mr. Heartilly."  
  
"My pleasure, as always. Will he be alright?"  
  
"Well the shock will remain, for sure. He'll probably have nightmares full of T-Rexaurs for a couple weeks, but nothing a strong young body can't handle. I'll put him to bed." With that said, the Doctor easily lifted the junior's small frame in her arms, and headed for one of the rooms.  
  
Rinoa smiled at Edea and walked to the small sink to wash her bloodstained hands. Edea simply sat down waiting.  
  
Dr. Kadowaki emerged from the room, followed by the heavy scent of camphor balm. She grabbed her purse and announced her intention of heading to the cafeteria for a quick lunch. Both Rinoa and Edea saluted her and watched her leave.  
  
"How Cid's doing?" Rinoa finally asked, drying her hands with a towel.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"But he seems more nervous than before. That's why I came to see Dr' Kadowaki. I know he hates doctors but I'd like her to check him up."  
  
"Nervous. Maybe he works too much."  
  
"I doubt it. He worked all of his life, since he was 12. But he seems to be slowly loosing his mind. He's growing paranoid, he's convinced there's a plot going on in Garden against him. But who would want him dead? He's always been an example for students. He's a father figure for most of them. I don't understand him."  
  
"He's growing old. How how is he? 58?"  
  
"60 in three months."  
  
"So you want me to tell Dr. Kadowaki when she gets back?"  
  
"Well if you don't mind I will wait for her here."  
  
"No, I certainly don't."  
  
Rinoa pulled a chair from under the round steel table and sat beside Edea, taking one of the older woman's hand in hers."  
  
"He's growing old, Edea. And you know that he soon won't be able to lead Garden like he did in his younger years. Why keep him in place? When you could easily get rid of him and take his place."  
  
Edea blinked several times "What? What are you saying Rinoa? Cid is."  
  
"Cid is nothing but an annoyance now."  
  
"No! Cid is my."  
  
"Your burden." The growing glassy look in the ex-sorceress' eyes pleased Rinoa. Edea was starting to fall under her influence.  
  
"My burden?"  
  
"And I know a way you can get rid of him." With that said, Rinoa stood up and headed for the small medicine cabinet. She opened it and searched inside until she pulled out a small blue bottle, and handed it over to Edea.  
  
"What's this?" The ex-sorceress asked with unsure tone.  
  
"Seems like Cid is developing a resistance to the drug we used first. This is a stronger stuff. Once per day will be enough. Understood?"  
  
"I.yes."  
  
"Give him maybe one more week, Edea. Your time is coming"  
  
Edea smiled weakly. She stood up, nearly stumbling on her feet, and left. Once alone, Rinoa allowed a true, full-width smile to spread across her lovely, innocent face. Edea had been possessed once, that only made her even weaker to another possession spell. Rinoa didn't even have to concentrate hard-Edea's mind opened like a flower to the sun at the slightliest mental caress.  
  
It had been pretty easy to access her deepest secret, and Rinoa had been very surprised to find out that ruling the Garden was amongst them. Maybe Ultimecia used that too when she first possessed her? The desire was pretty strong, amplified by years of playing the perfect housewife while Cid took all the responsibilities- and the glory who came with his position. But dangling the tasteful prize in front of Edea was just another hoax. Rinoa had no intention to leave the control to Edea once Cid's brain was irremediably destroyed by the debilitating poison. The place was already reserved for her lover.  
  
When she had learned that Cid was about to take Squall as his apprentice for the Headmaster position, Rinoa's heart soared with joy and pride. Squall was the perfect warrior, he deserved it. She knew Cid had called him back when they were both in Deling City's hospital. Then she learned that Squall had declined the post, and said he wasn't interested in a leadership position. Even worst, Cid understood his motives. Cid actually talked about taking Xu as the new apprentice. How could he? Xu was a pale reflection of a aler reflexion of Squall. The bitch barely deserved the commander rank. Rinoa had thought about simply killing Xu, but then Cid would have chosen Nida, then maybe Quistis.  
  
Using possession on Cid was a hard task for a Sorceress who still barely knew how to control her powers. She succeeded a few times, enough to implant in Cid's mind the persistent idea that Squall HAD to be headmaster. Knowing Squall, Rinoa was absolutely certain he would surrender. The idea of loosing his only home would probably force him to accept.  
  
From then, everything went wrong. Squall seemed to surrender, then Seifer disappeared, then him, followed by Zell. Rinoa thought her plan was ruined.  
  
But Cid was under her influence with his poison-weakened brain. He was conducting intensive searches for them. Sooner or later, they would run out of money, and head back to the only place they knew. That day, she would be in the first line to greet her lover. Hopefully her possession skills would allow her to take advantage of his weakened state.  
  
Then they'd take care of old Cid.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Squall had sheated back his weapon, not at all willing to draw attention while he led the young boy and Zell out of the train station. Zell seemed more awake than the day before-he had slept and eaten a lot-but he was still posing awe-wide eyes at the world surrounding him. Squall remembered fondly the childish guy he met in his second year at Garden. How he hated the blonde, and always found a way to escape his company. Such an immature boy Zell was.  
  
He could only glare at the other boy's back, knowing he couldn't really hate him, but still couldn't help wanting to hurt him. He had scanned the boy several times, and had proven him to be nothing but innocence and guilt. His memories only showed a loving but overprotective mother, whom he missed greatly but loathed at the same time. His latest memories before Squall captured him where nothing but a blurry mess of blood and weird sounds that sounded like yelling mixed with the sound of someone drowning.  
  
But it was that boy's fault if all this mess happened. How could he possibly forgive him? Especially if Zell never got back to his old self.  
  
"Where are we going?" Zell asked, sounding very annoyed.  
  
"We're going to meet an old friend of ours. Seifer." Squall briefly hoped that Zell would recognize the sound of his former hate interest, but the innocent face didn't falter.  
  
Squall silently led them through the crowded streets, his arm wrapped around Zell's shoulder and Allen on the other side. They passed several hotels before Squall finally walked up to a good-looking one, with raw stone walls and large windows framed by white curtains. They walked in and Squall asked if Sylvan Neiko still rented room 8. Being answered positive and feeling a lot lighter, Squall pushed Allen and pulled Zell through the dimly lit hallway.  
  
A knock and a half later, they were confronted with a ill-looking, hirsute Seifer, whose bright green eyes seemed to flare as soon as they met Squall's. Without even having the time to utter a word, Squall was trapped in a bear hug, his friends laughing hysterically while roughly petting his already messy hair.  
  
"Hyne Squall, I thought you were dead!" Seifer whispered, deep emotion making his voice break.  
  
"I was-"  
  
"Seifer? Who is it?" The unmistakable instructor tone brought a half-smile to Squall's lips.  
  
"She's awake"  
  
"Yeah, she is. But she.kinda forgot everything that happened."  
  
"what do you mean by 'everything'?"  
  
"Her last memory is Time Compression."  
  
"Oh fuck." At this point Squall knew that Hyne had abandoned them all. Meanwhile Seifer had turned his attention to Zell, who was standing behind Squall and held Allen by the arm.  
  
"Good to see you back, chickie. But you do looks like crap, boy!"  
  
Zell's eyes only widened and Seifer was blown over to see tears swelling the boy's cerulean orbs. There was absolutely no recognition in those huge weeping eyes, only hurt, and lot of it.  
  
"What the.Squall?"  
  
"He doesn't remember more than Quistis."  
  
Seifer hung down his head.  
  
"You know, it doesn't even surprise me. Come in, I was about to order something to eat." And at that very second, he noticed the familiar shaven and scarred skull he had been pursuing in the train station. He instantly moved to a fighting stance.  
  
"What the fuck is he doing here?"  
  
"He's the cause of our problems. And the solution too, hopefully. So let's not kill him. Yet"  
  
"Then just not leave him alone with me."  
  
Seifer still motioned for the other to come in, but made sure to stay behind Allen.  
  
The place was nice and cozy, with a small living room next to a large double-bed. Quistis was sitting in the middle of it, pale and beautiful in the too large grey shirt that matched the silver cloth on her head. She looked like a Goddess, ready to shows her vengeance on the strangers who dared enter her lair. Until she recognized two of them as her dearest friends.  
  
"Squall!!" She squeaked. Squall smiled and leaned over the bed for a hug. She smelled clean and healthy. Squall extended the hug, feeling content for the first time in several week.  
  
"And Zell!" Quistis released Squall and extended her arms in the stunned blonde's direction. Zell didn't move at first, then, maybe out of habit, leaned and let Quistis hug him, although not responding.  
  
"Have a seat, all." Seifer entered the room with the chairs from the living room, and settled them in circle around the bed. Zell and Squall quickly sat, but Allen, shied out by this camaraderie, stood still focusing on his shoes.  
  
"Who is the child?" Quistis asked.  
  
"A.friend." Squall replied before Seifer could make up a bitter reply.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
I am sorry I had to cut off the chapter right there, because it was growing way too lengthy! Chapter 13 is already half-written so expect update very soon. Damn this fic for being so easy to write when I bug the life out of me for the two others : (  
  
Sorry Miss D for not updating quicker ;) I am no longer a university student now *hooray for sessions-0ff!* so I will have more time for this *dances around* 


	13. Learning to forget

Disclaimer: They are Squaresoft, I am me, so they are not mine.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Chapter 13: Learning to forget  
  
  
  
He couldn't sleep. Worst than the rejection, the nasty glares of both Seifer and Squall, he felt miserable for the rejection of one of the few pleasures left in his world, the deep dreamless slumber.  
  
Allen used to dream a lot back home, more than three times a night, and he remembered most of them as unpleasing experiences of sharp pain and inhuman figure speaking foreign languages. Later, it had turned into images of Erin raising from her tomb and caressing his skin with rotten, maggots-creeping fingers. She had even kissed him once, full on the lips, and he swore he had tasted the decaying flesh, and even felt pieces of it left in his mouth after she left. That night he had woken up vomiting, and almost got smacked over by an utterly pissed Seifer.  
  
But since he left, not the simplest image came to disturb his sleep. As a result, he slept more than ten hours per night, if no-one forced him to wake up.  
  
They had left the Hotel room two days before, and moved from Deling City to Dollet, where Galbadian law still remained, making it harder for Garden to trace them. Now that Seifer's money was all spent, they were counting on Squall and Quistis' bank accounts to survive, and eventually on Zell's. But right now, it didn't felt right for anyone to use the lunatic man's money, not when he couldn't even remember who Quistis was. The new place was a bit bigger than the hotel room, and they had a fireplace. There was only one bed in the room, a Queen size bed that Quistis used with Zell. Seifer and Squall settled the living room as a bedroom every night, using the twin couches for themselves but forcing the young boy to sleep on the floor on a thin mattress, and between them. Now, although he badly needed to use the bathroom, Allen couldn't dare to move, knowing those soldiers would probably wake up at any noise and grab him.  
  
The sound of footsteps in the hallway separating the two rooms made him hold his breath, until the now familiar silhouette of the tall woman appeared. She has not manifested direct hostility toward him, even after learning that he was indirectly responsible for her losing her memory. She always talked to him with gentleness, if not sympathy. It infuriated Seifer, but it only took one of those scary Instructor Glares to shut the blonde up.  
  
"You aren't sleeping?" Her quiet voice demanded.  
  
"No. I can't."  
  
"Neither me. Come on, let's have a hot chocolate."  
  
"No way, we're keeping him where we can see him." Seifer grumbled from his couch.  
  
"You go back to sleep, Almasy." Quistis scowled in the ex-knight's direction.  
  
"Like he-"  
  
"Sleep."  
  
"Right. Go to hell." Seifer finally grumbled before plucking his head on the pillow and covering it with the blanket. Quistis smiled warmly at him, then motioned to Allen to get up and follow her.  
  
The kitchen was, strangely enough, next to the bedroom rather than next to the living room, yet another of those typical dolletian weird things learned to laugh about. Quistis motioned for him to sit down while she warmed the milk on the tiny oven. Allen felt relaxed, being with the only person around who threated him like who he was-a clueless child-rather than like a criminal.  
  
"How old are you?" Quistis asked while she poured the milk in mugs.  
  
"Thirteen and a half."  
  
"So very young. You really did snatch all those people?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Allen stilled. No-one had ever asked him why. "Because I thought it was right. And no-one ever told me it was wrong."  
  
Quistis smiled warmly. The instructor in her loved the boy, even if the wounded still loathed him.  
  
"It's quite a scar you got there." Her hand caressed the purplish skin on the side of his skull.  
  
"Yeah, I had an accident on a pier. Lost my memory, and it never went back. I can't remember anything from my childhood."  
  
"Not a single bit?"  
  
"No. Mom said it would be back someday.but now I doubt it. She probably lied anyway. As for the rest."  
  
"I have a similar one." Quistis said, and for the first time since she put it on, she pulled the garment off her head. Short, messy hair pointed in all direction, but still couldn't hide the large bulge of crimson flesh, where hair no longer grew. Quistis quickly put back the long piece of cloth on her head.  
  
"For what it's worth, I believe you." Quistis said.  
  
"You don't even know where I'm coming from."  
  
"Neither do you, I'm afraid."  
  
"Yeah." The boy sipped his chocolate.  
  
"Squall and Seifer will eventually forgive you."  
  
"You should be the one angry at me. I made you lose your memories, and that scar is my fault too."  
  
"We won't have this conversation twice. I don't blame you. I blame everyone else. Happy?"  
  
Allen chuckled, the sound unpleasant as always.  
  
"A whole story led me to the train station. What happened is a lot of bad timing as far as I am concerned. Okay?"  
  
"'Kay."  
  
"I'll go back to bed, now. I suggest you do the same, as tomorrow might be as stressful as today was!"  
  
"'Kay."  
  
"Don't worry, for once, okay?"  
  
"'Kay."  
  
Quistis affectingly caressed Allen's bald head, lingering her warm fingers on the scar. Then she got up, took his hand and led him back in the living room. After making sure he was well tucked under the thin blanket, she kissed his cheek and smiled warmly at him. Then she silently left.  
  
Allen let out his breath as soon as the eerie silhouette disappeared from the doorway. His cheeks were flushed, his body tingled with something that felt a lot like happiness, or at least contentment. He knew he would sleep now, and maybe things would be all good when he would wake up.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yep, that's it. Over for now. Go read 'Wings of Forgiveness' instead, the chapter is longer *wink wink*  
  
I can't wait to post next chapter. The plot is definitely going to twist. Gosh I love writing *ecstatic smile*  
  
Licks to everyone who reviewed! 


	14. This story is getting long, don't you th...

Disclaimer : eheheheheh ahahahaah!!!!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 14: This story is getting long, don't you think? ;)  
  
Fresh air was needed for everyone, Quistis decided after two days of everyone getting on everyone's nerves. Herself had been on the verge of killing Seifer for most of her awake hours, especially since he had learned of her little nighttime conversation with the boy. Allen couldn't stand being near the imposing blonde. Whenever he'd feel his presence near him, his delicate hands would start shaking uncontrollably and his eyes would grow as big as dinner plates. Seifer sure had an inner talent to scare people off. If only he could lay off the poor thing.  
  
But right now, under a bright sunny sky, the sea breeze blowing with the spicy smell of sea and pines, he had found back something like childhood, although he told her last night that he was now four days away from his fourteenth birthday. Quistis had bought him and Zell a strange candy earlier, some stuffed pie or something. They had both fell in a food battle seconds afterwards, and now wore then trace of what seemed to be strawberry filling everywhere on their clothes. But everyone's mood had considerably lifted following that little prank-well, except for Seifer, but it wasn't a surprise.  
  
Their path led them to the beach, exactly where they had landed in Squall and Seifer's field exam. Much to their surprise, the metallic cadaver of the X-ATM092 still laid on the sand, starting to rust from the salt water's action. Quistis and Allen slowly walked around it, Quistis telling the boy of what happened there that day, the communication tower, Elvoret almost knocking Squall down the higher level of the tower, then, before she trailed too far and betrayed Seifer's inappropriate behaviour, which led to his downfall, she pushed the boy's attention to a huge steel crane and the complex mix of electric wires.  
  
She had not noticed Seifer going away, nor Seifer returning. The boy was asking a zillion questions, eyes glowing with pleasure. Then something pulled at her hand, and something soft, smooth, silky was slid between her fingers. Looking up from Allen who was busy digging through the X-ATM092's guts, her eyes met a pair of jade-colored, hurt irises. Seifer's face was a battlefield of feeling, his brow furrowed, mouth thinned by the fact he was actually biting his lower lip-something she could never imagine him doing because The Great Almasy was NEVER nervous, nor hurt for that matter. Her eyes briefly left his to look at her hand. Another piece of cloth, dark red with silver feathers. She remembered briefly whining about her other one, the one she didn't even took off to shower, beginning to turn icky. Apparently he was the only one who listened to her. Feeling guilty for having ignored the one who pulled her out of the hell she had been into, Quistis smiled sheepishly. Her hands met his under the soft fabric. Something definitely worth a second though passed between their gaze, and then..  
  
"LOOK WHAT I FOUND!" An oily mess of black gears with wires was shoved under her nose. Seifer jumped away and quickly turned his back to them, joining Squall who enjoyed a bit of sunshine on the sand with Zell curled under his arm. The hyperactive blonde still hadn't a clue who he was, but he knew who needed him the most right now.  
  
Unlike someone else. Seifer thought bitterly.  
  
Quistis side-watched him leave, his other half of brain concentrated on the joyful boy's discovery. But she sure knew a good discussion would be needed once back to their hideout.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ten minutes later Seifer called the end of the fun, pretending he had seen a couple suspicious creatures around here. Althought everyone knew the reason was more Seifer's feeling of loneliness than anything else, they followed the man they had now set as the leader. Seifer just had the inner talent of taking a decision making everyone feels like it was the only one available. Allen joined Quistis's side, playing again the deer caught in the headlight everytime Seifer tried to get closer to them.  
  
As they entered the first street, a loud silence had settled amongst them. Squall held Zell's hand tight in his, Zell watched the world around him like it was his first day on Earth. His beautiful innocent face beamed when they crossed a florist stand, yellow roses and daffodils and irises blooming in a cacophony of pastel tones. He and Allen immediately jumped in the shop, squeaking in unison in front of some huge orange sunflowers. Quistis eventually found the money to buy them each one, the two biggest with long, velvety petals and a heavy nectarine smell.  
  
Allen's child side was definitely re-emerging from his too mature facade. Quistis still couldn't tell if it was a good thing.  
  
Just as the walked out of the shop, Allen, who was running, bumped into a short, but rather plump woman holding a huge bouquet. She fell back and dropped the flowers, creating a nice rain of rose petals over the kid on the floor.  
  
"I'm so sor-"  
  
"My, Seifer, Squall, is that really you?"  
  
The blonde and the brunette, who were busy keeping Zell from running, snapped their head in the woman's direction. The sight was too surreal to be true, but they needed to believe it.  
  
"Dr. Kadowaki?" Seifer whispered, as if afraid she'd disappear in smoke if he talked loud.  
  
"Hyne, and I wanted to stay in Balamb today and work on my darned diary!" The woman uttered before taking a dumbstruck Seifer in her arms, a familiar, reassuring hug he quickly returned. Soon Squall 'suffered' the same fate, but when she moved to a wide-eyed Zell, the small blonde, yelped and hid himself behind Squall.  
  
"What in Hyne's love..." Kadowaki murmured trying to get ahold of the young man, but he kept jumping out of her reach.  
  
"It's a long story." Squall said but he didn't move to help Kadowaki catch Zell.  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Are you going to tell Cid that you found us?" Seifer asked, nervousness apparent in his tone.  
  
"No, of course not!" The doctor said without hesitation. "The old man can get lost in Grandidi Forest! He's hadn't been his normal self lately. And I know better than thinking he's just in a bad mood."  
  
"What do you mean?" Squall asked.  
  
"Cid's mood swings are known by everyone, but you and I perfectly know it never went as far as paranoia and violence! No-one can understand him these days. Some are already talking about putting him into retirement."  
  
"And..."  
  
"And of course there have to be someone interested in that retirement plan, uh?" Seifer's sense of logic was another well-hidden talent all these years.  
  
"Got it, my child." Kadowaki smiled up at him.  
  
"Look," Squall cut, holding a very nervous Zell in his arms, "We are in urgent need of a doctor right now, but we can't afford to go to hospital because then they would know where we are. Did you bring your medical stuff along?"  
  
"Of course I did, sweetheart. You never know who might need help."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Dr. Kadowaki flicked the mini lamp off and proceeded to check up the boy's respiration and blood pressure. Satisfied, she slightly pressed the skin of his scar, gathering unhealthy yellowish liquid and a quiet whimper of pain.  
  
"It's been like this for how long?" She asked Allen.  
  
"Since I got it. Almost a year ago."  
  
"Mhm. Not normal. It would need extra check-up."  
  
"Ah. And where would it be?" Squall's bitter voice cut off.  
  
"In Deling hospital of course, Dear. You think the obsessions of an old fool would stop me from my duty?"  
  
"If he finds us..."  
  
"He won't, he won't..." Dr. Kadowaki cupped the young boy's cheek with gentleness and caressed his naked skull. "And those, sweetheart? You shave every morning?"  
  
"No, ma'am. I never had to. They won't grow."  
  
"Won't grow? Not normal too. Any kind of genetical diseases in your family?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"He only has his mother," Quistis cut. "And he doesn't wish to see her anymore."  
  
"I'm not even sure she is my mother.." Allen muttered under his breath.  
  
"What was that, dear?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, turning back to the boy.  
  
"Nothing..."  
  
"And you never knew who your dad was?"  
  
"No. He died before I was born. Mom told me about him being a war hero and all...but she never showed me pictures of him, and never told me his name."  
  
"Mmhm...would you like to find out who he was?"  
  
"Doctor!" Seifer hissed from the back of the room.  
  
"What? I can have access to Esthar's DNA bank as easily as you can access your bank account..."  
  
Seifer's gaze only hardened at the mention of his untouchable money locked away from his grasp.  
  
"Okay sorry sweetie, bad analogy."  
  
"Ma'am?" Allen drew back her attention. "I would like to know. Really."  
  
"That would definitely help clearing up your case, child. All I need is a blood sample and you'd know within the next day. How does that sound?"  
  
"Nice...thanks a lot."  
  
"Now just let me retrieve that good old needle..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
After having drawn a couple vials of Allen's blood, Dr. Kadowaki asked Zell to join them, and then asked the other to leave them for a private conversation.  
  
The others stood up silently and walked out of the bedroom. Squall quickly announced his intention of buying food for everyone and quickly left.  
  
But no-one could have missed how shiny his eyes had become.  
  
Seifer sat on one of the wooden chair of the small kitchen. Quistis sat in front of him, purposely blocking any escape.  
  
"What exactly do you reproach to the boy, Seifer?" Quistis had never been the kind to fumble with her words.  
  
She could see Seifer backing off against the chair, but he made no move to escape her questionning glare.  
  
"He's evil..."  
  
"He's a child. Have you seen any trace of evilness in him? Can't you understand the chances are that he had been manipulated?"  
  
"Like I had been, uh?"  
  
"I am not saying that."  
  
"But you are thinking it."  
  
"You are impossible"  
  
"And you are adorably stupid."  
  
"Seifer, stop playing with me."  
  
"I am playing?" His cocky grin seriously made her palm itch for a good smack. Then something much more clever crossed her thoughts.  
  
From her pocket, she pulled the new crimson cloth and handed it to the blonde, who stared at it not knowing at all what she wanted him to do with it. Quistis smiled at his dumb look. Sure, the bastard was pushed off balance. She pulled the old scarf from her head, where the disheveled hair was starting to be long enough to point in all directions. She closed her eyes-There were two mirrors in the kitchen, and she feared to see her reflexion in one of them.  
  
"What-"  
  
"Tie it, Seifer, do I have to draw it for you?"  
  
"Ah go to hell." But she felt Seifer taking the cloth off her hand, and heard him unfolding it.  
  
Then silence.  
  
Quistis was considering opening her eyes just the time to smack him good, but then his large, very warm hands were on her, against the most hated part of her, covering the scar, the ugly, not-too-clean hair, the itchy parts where scabs still remained. She jumped first but the hands wouldn't let her go, they followed her, massaged the damaged skin until the idea of acceptance rose through her. He hands blindly searched for him, landed on steady shoulders, which she encircled before burrying her face against the hard chest. One of his arms circled her waist, but the other remained on her head, holding her tight against him.  
  
It felt good.  
  
It felt familiar.  
  
Nothing to hide from him, not even her lips which she eagerly offered to him when he lifted her face. But her eyes kept tightly shut although tears now trickled down the golden eyelashes. She felt Seifer's lips on hers, not demanding, but rather gently exploring the flesh until she grew more impassionate and started to push her mouth against his, and her tongue sneaked out to lap at his lips, tasting her own tears and his masculine fragrance. Familiar, like she had tasted it before.  
  
The sound of footsteps, coming from behind the closed door, forced them both to separate, still panting and definitely very flushed. Seifer quickly wrapped her head in the cloth, and kissed her cheek one last time before Kadowaki appeared, followed by an unnaturally calm Zell and Allen, smiling up at the talkative woman.  
  
"Well, people, seems like I am going to leave you until tomorrow. Be sure to keep those two jewels locked," She gestured to her two patients, " I want to find them intact when I'll get back!"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
That night Allen claimed Quistis' bed, claiming the nightmares were back, and although she knew he was probably lying about it, she also knew the realisation of her affection for him was still fairly new and very comforting, so she let him ease his shorter frame beside her, and soon, as he drifted off to sleep, his body curled inward like a bow, his head almost touching his raised hands and his forehead resting against her shoulder. Quistis sighed, readjusted the cloth on her head and tried to give in to slumber, even though his body heat made her feel uncomfortable and sweaty.  
  
Grunting, She once again shifted, and groaned in frustration when the lithe form moved to adjust against her, his own sweat now mixing with hers. His soft snoring occasionnaly turned into little painful moans. Allen had nightmares almost every night, nothing alarming.  
  
But inside the boy's brain, something pulled the right string, and the countdown began.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's notes Things to blame for my perpetual lateness: Aduldfanfiction.net, mediaminer.org, job, boyfriends, job, rats, Ebay.com, job, life, Harry Potter, trying to lessen my net hours, job.  
  
I am already not a fast writer, and all those should be severely punished for making me even worse. 


	15. Truths that should never have been told

Disclaimer: I survived living without owning them so far. But sometimes, oh just sometimes.  
  
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Chapter 15:Truths that should never have been told  
  
\  
  
Obel Lake  
  
Alitas' hands were shaky as she finally put the small jewel back in the box, and slid the magically enhanced padlock in the small loop. The whole process was one of the hardest she ever had to do in her life, and in addition, it was a gamble, because she couldn't remember anyone trying it in her years of experience.  
  
The jewel was the only memorabilia she kept from her son's birth, a small, tear-shaped diamond with hollow inside, and containing a single drop of Allen's blood, coming from the sample drawn from him the day they took him out of the feeding liquid. Still, the DNA it contained permitted her to draw her spirit out in the world and to his own, wherever he was.  
  
Well that was theory.  
  
Still, she was absolutely certain the faint response she got, like a uncentered caress in an ocean of conflict feelings, was his. She hoped the slight electric impulse she sent inside him was enough for the trigger to push and start the most useful feature she had implanted in him. Not that she thought that a self-destruction system would ever come in handy with the loving, shy boy, but with the powers given to him, she had to be cautious.  
  
Exhausted beyond the point of collapsing, the sorceress crashed on her bed. She now knew why this procedure was very rarely used-her heart was beating wildly against her ribs, and she was positive that any older, weaker sorceress would have died from the extreme effort-such pressure could make arteries burst, muscles snaps and heart breaks. But her body was strong, and her mind sharp. Within a few days the self-destructive spell would turn her shameful son's brain into useless mud. He would turn from a help to a burden.  
  
Absently, her eyes drifted to the solid steel safe where the syringe laid. The concentrated aura that would soon be injected into her. Without Allen to play the catalyst's part, they have been turning their attention on a teen brought back a few days before Erin's execution. The young girl was nearly fourteen, and had clearly suffered from starvation through most of her life, for her body was lithe and slightly deformed, as well as her mind. One could call her retarded, but Alitas preferred to think of her as 'alterable', and her body was now conditioned with doses of aura. To everyone's surprise, she was already considered strong enough to support the aura transfert. Only a few more days, to ensure she would survive. After all, if anything should fail, she would need to either start the gathering of magic all over again, or she wouldn't have to care about anything at all-as she'd be dead and ready to rot.  
  
Sleep made her eyelids heavier and heavier, but her last logical thought before blackness was how she missed him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The day came too quickly, as always, and Quistis finally got to separate herself from the still sleeping and now drooling kid beside her. Taking advantage of the very early time, she ran to the bathroom and had a nice bath, knowing that in maybe half an hour, the kid would notice her disappearance and check for her.  
  
Boy, was she good in falling from a mess to a bigger one? Of course she had to know that showing friendly care toward the young lad would draw him toward her-after all she was the only woman in there, and he clearly had been missing a motherly figure. But she wasn't a mother, she hadn't a clue how to be one, and she feared turning him back into a monster-after all, this kid have kidnapped and led people, many people, to their death, and all that only for the love of his mother.  
  
Once she felt clean enough, Quistis peeled herself out of the water, dried and dressed, and left the bathroom. The kitchen felt cold and dark in the light morning sun, so she quickly got a batch of coffee done, knowing the warm smell would bring everyone in.  
  
As expected, five minutes were the quickest for everyone to fight over the bathroom's ownership and lounge into the small piece. Squall arrived with an overchatty Zell clutching him and was immediately voted off the caffeine. Seifer followed, looking absolutely pissed as always but taking the time, as he reached for the sugar, to secretly hold her hand and- obviously not by accident- to pinch her bottom. Allen came last, but did a wide-arc walk to avoid Seifer's proximity and join Quistis's opposed side.  
  
"We'd need to get a move on." Squall finally said, breaking the sleepy morning magic. Faces quickly faded to severe, and everyone sat around the table.  
  
"Why are you so quick with another move on, Leonhart?" Seifer growled from his side. "We have money now. Dr. Kadowaki is on our side. We can work from here."  
  
"Work from here?" Squall growled back at him. "May I remind you the bitch is in Obel Lake and we're on Dollet?"  
  
"And by going back there unprepared, we might as well kill ourselves right now."  
  
"Time is nearly up." Allen said quietly, drawing very unwanted attention on him. " She kept telling me how close she was getting of her dream."  
  
"Her romantic dream, maybe?" Squall taunted, eyeing Seifer, who reddened within seconds.  
  
"And which consist of..?" He muttered.  
  
"I.I don't know." Allen whispered, shame evident on his face.  
  
"Goooood!" Seifer smiled bitterly. "Can someone tell me where we're heading?"  
  
"I think," Allen said quietly, "That the people that were in my mother's facilities are the ones who could defeat her. You were there for a reason. She wanted you powers. She robbed them to you. I think that's the reason why Zell doesn't seem to heal up."  
  
"But Quistis did." Seifer pointed up.  
  
"Yes, she did. And that's why I think she is the key. From what I heard, Quistis' disappearance caused a great distress to my mother."  
  
Seifer laughed. "I remember how you used to burst into a magic overload each time you were annoyed, back at the orphanage. Bossy little Quistis. You scared us to death the day you threw a laser beam at Squall because he ignored you. You almost killed him. Matron put you in the corner for a full week. That was the first time you used your Blue Magic habilities."  
  
Quistis smiled weakly. "Yeah, I remember that. I did it twice that year. The other time, I missed Zell from a centimeter and the old Oak tree in the yard caught fire. I was spanked until I couldn't feel my butt anymore."  
  
"How many Blue Magic abilities do you have now?" Squall asked.  
  
"Thirteen, I think. I still haven't found the proper items for White Wind, Fire breath and Ray Bomb."  
  
"We might." Allen began.  
  
"Do not even think about it, boy," Quistis swiftly cut him. "I can use my limit breaks only if weakened or under the influence of an aura spell."  
  
"Although you certainly weren't in a weak state the day you almost fried me alive." Squall pointed out.  
  
This caused a long, surprised silence, as everyone finally came to the same conclusion.  
  
"You aren't going to tell us you hid it?" Seifer finally said.  
  
"Hid what?" Quistis choked.  
  
"That you could use you limit anytime, without trigger."  
  
"I can't!" She protested, a bright flush creeping on her cheeks.  
  
"Of course you do." Seifer retorted. "Stop playing innocent."  
  
"My limits appear only in the two circumstances I told you! I never hid!"  
  
"Quistis, I remember quite clearly, you were quite fond of your solitude, back in the old Garden days. Were you trying to keep something away from the others? Something like newfound powers?"  
  
"Shut up you retarded bastard!" Quistis yelled, standing up from her chair.  
  
"My, looks like I hit a sweet spot in there!" Seifer spoke through a perfect, jubilant smile.  
  
"You're nothing but a good-for-nothing motherf-" Quistis' hateful sentence was cut short by a glowing greenish smog encircling her body and quickly spreading in Seifer's direction. His eyes widened as he started inhaling the acrid smell, and slowly faded to a sleepy, un-centered gaze, before a milky screen appeared over the pupils. His head slumped against his chest and he started to snore lightly, as his whole body spun around, in circle. His skin was also turning to a very unhealthy greenish color.  
  
"Oh my Goddess." Quistis whispered before both of her hands clamped on her mouth.  
  
"I may be mistaken," Squall snorted, although a hint of awe seeped through, "But you just bad-breathed is arse."  
  
"Which proves a point." Allen whispered, but quickly faded under Quistis' very sharp and bruising glare.  
  
Squall untangled himself from Zell's possessive hug and walked to the spinning man, using his gloved fists to bash some sense back into Seifer. Still bright green but liberated from both the Sleep and Confuse spells, he collapsed on the floor before vomiting his breakfast all over himself. His cataract-afflicted eyes were feverishly searching around.  
  
"What a mess." Squall sighed, but he still helped the blonde back on his shaking legs, poured a vial of antidote down his throat and headed for the bathroom for a little clean-up. Five minutes later, the messy head of dark curls peeked from the door.  
  
"Anyone got a Eye Drop?"  
  
"Uh, no." Quistis replied, still shocked.  
  
"Bugger. Guess he'll have to be led around until I have a trip to the store." Squall's head disappeared again.  
  
"What." Allen tried to speak again, but shut down for the second time, glad that no twin laser beams had burned through him from the over-aggressive irises. Quistis sat in silence, eyes unfocused. Realizing for the first time that she had never cared to explore the hidden power she had always felt somewhere, but not once believed in.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Everyone thought the day could not get worse than that. Upon a quick trip to the medicine shop, they learned that the store was currently out of Eye drops, and they had to buy a very expensive x-remedy to cure Seifer. Of course, as soon as the whiteness left his eyes, Seifer's first concrete thought have been to kill Quistis, and he had to be kept under supervision for a while, just in case his vengeful ideas got over his common sense. And sadly for them, it was only noon, and the other part of the day held far more surprises.  
  
They were just finishing cleaning the dishes for dinner when they heard a knock at their door. Everyone stiffened, while Squall retrieved Lionhart and cautiously took a peek out of the door window, followed by a sight and the sound of the door being unlocked. The small, replete form of Dr. Kadowaki slid in the room. She was holding what looked like a large oval suitcase, which she settled on the table before crashing on a chair, sighing.  
  
"I'd gladly take a cup of tea before I begin, kids."  
  
Quistis smiled and went to retrieve the kettle. Five minutes later, the infusion was in front of the woman, and several pairs of nervous eyes followed her hands opening the suitcase.  
  
"First, I'll deliver the easiest new. Zell, you're suffering from the loss of a vital part of your brain."  
  
Zell's huge baby blue eyes stared at her in awe, but he obviously couldn't understand a word.  
  
"What can be done?" Squall asked, a hand stroking Zell's limp hair.  
  
"Basically, a transplant. It seems like the part that had been taken is the part where magical abilities are stocked."  
  
"Aura." Allen said from his place on Quistis' lap. "They call it aura. That's what give a person his of her magical powers. The denser the aura concentration is, the better the person can controls magic. My mother was often talking about it."  
  
"And I remember that they used the needle on me, and they drained something."  
  
"But you recovered, sweetie." Kadowaki said. "And he didn't."  
  
"We already talked about it." Seifer grumbled.  
  
"If I recovered, I must have a lot of aura to spare, doesn't I? Do you think if I.gave him some of mine, then he would recover?"  
  
Kadowaki spared a few moment to weight the pros and the cons, but finally had to agreed it could work, given that the loss of aura was the only damage done to Zell's brain. She settled that Quistis and Zell would have to visit Dollet's hospital the following day, where the doctor had several neurologist friends that could perform the rather simple operation.  
  
"Now," Kadowaki gulped down the rest of her cup and took a rather thick pile of papers from the suitcase. "This is the result of the DNA test I performed on our little guy here. You may want to settle down a bit because I know a few ones who won't be happy at all."  
  
Allen cleared his throat "Just shoot it, doctor. After all that happened, I can hardly think of anything worse."  
  
"Well you might have to revise that, kid." Kadowaki spoke darkly. "Seifer, may I present you your son."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Waaah stupid place to cut off a story! I just felt that if I didn't cut it there it would take another ten pages to get to the end. Don't worry it is getting to the end. I don't think I can make more than 4 more chapters before finishing it. There's hope, you see?  
  
As always thanks for reading, and REVIEWING! *Evil glare* 


	16. Daddy?

Disclaimer : I am pregnant with their child. ALL of them :D  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 16 : Daddy ?  
Seifer paced the room back and forth, in a frantic state of distress mixed with something else, something that he couldn't name, maybe excitement? Or fear? Hell if he was to analyze every single feeling that was having a fight in his head, he'd end up insane, or in jail. Slowly, he trailed a hand in his messed up blonde locks, his gaze once again locked on the bald boy sitting in front of him and staring at him with shock-widened eyes-in which he could easily read his dominant feeling, horror. Of course, did he really thought the child would run up to him calling him daddy? He had made an art of terrorizing the poor thing since they first met, and now his worst nightmare have just turned to the harshest relality.  
  
"I can't have a kid!" He exclaimed for the countless time.  
  
"The DNA test is 99% accurate. We did it ten consecutive times. It gave the exact same result every time. I am sorry dear but you are a father."  
  
"The kid is fourteen year's old! How could I have conceived a son at the very virile age of 5?"  
  
"That's what we'll have to find out." Kadowaki's voice sounded a lot calmer than she actually felt.  
  
"Can't he be like, my little brother or something? He got the Almasy gene, not my specific gene, doesn't he?"  
  
Kadowaki sighed. "Your parents died when you were one-year-old. He would have been born four years after their deaths. You have no uncles, no aunts. Both your parents were only childs. And I doubt your grandparents..."  
  
"Okay leave my grandparents out of this" Seifer snarled, not at all amused with the image.  
  
"Allen," Quistis gently shook the boy out of his trance, "Are you sure your mother is....well, you mother? That you haven't been adopted?"  
  
"How should I know?" He replied in a tiny, almost sobbing voice. "I lost my- "  
  
"Memory, yes that's true. I am sorry."  
  
"Well we will have to stick to the idea that Allen here is our Seifer's offspring."  
  
Kadowaki's declaration didn't warm the atmospere between the now father and son, both still looking at each other in panic. Squall held Zell close, the huge cerulean eyes of the small blonde closed and a contented smile playing over his lips. He was the only one in the room totally unaware of the unbearable tenseness. Squall gently pushed his child-boyfriend and stood up.  
  
"I know you'd both need time to adjust to that new, but we don't have time for it. Garden won't help us, in fact we still need to hide from Cid. We need to know what we'll do, and we need to know it by the end of this day, because tomorrow Zell's going in surgery and as soon as he gets thrown out of the hospital, we're going to dig holes in that bitch's face."  
  
"Damn boy, almost sounds like me." Seifer smirked. "Maybe you did learn after all..."  
  
"Seifer, shut up." Squall snapped, glaring forks and random sharp sticks at his former rival.  
  
"Until then," Dr Kadowaki said, easily cutting through the raising hostility, "Please refrain from hurting each other, and I mean with both words and fists. You aren't meant to be kept so close, for so long, and I know how hard it must be on your nerves. If you want, I can take the boy for tonight, it would-"  
  
"No." Was Seifer's only response, and caused Allen's eyes to widen a few more inches. "He'll stay here. I need to talk. To him." The last few words seemed particularly painful to form.  
  
"Fine then, sweethearts! I'll go shuffle through stuff and get things ready for tomorrow's operation." Kadowaki grabbed her things and quickly left the place, the awkward silence creeping back in the room right behind her.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
That night Quistis didn't snickers when Allen rolled up in bed with her. Knowing Seifer wanted a word with him, he had been going from one hiding place to another all evening, keeping the blonde man from cornering him.  
  
She actually let him snuggle against her chest, his smooth head tucked under her chin and her arms encircling his shoulders while his own arms mimicked the gesture. Probably exhausted by the emotional overload of the day, the boy soon enough started snoring lightly, although he kept the dead- grip on Quistis. As always, the close presence of the bald boy only succeeded in helping sleep to avoid her, and near two in the morning, she was still staring wide-eyed at the white ceiling, where the rays of the moon filtering through the worn lace curtains created abstract patterns.  
  
She had just heard the living room clock's ringing half-past-two when a shuffling noise, followed by approaching footsteps, told her that someone was coming her way. Moment afterwards, the door of the bedroom opened, a silhouette appearing on the lighter background, the large shoulders and chest leaving not doubt on the identity of the newcomer.  
  
Seifer slipped to her side of the bed, then carefully sat on the edge, thinking she was asleep. A warm hand slid from her calf to her knee, the tickling sensation causing a chuckle to escape her lips. Seifer immediatly stood up, caught between the urge to run out and the need to talk to the only person he truly trusted.  
  
"You were faking" his hoarse voice whispered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't feel like arguing with you. And if Allen wakes up with you in front of him, he's gonna freak out."  
  
"I'm not here to argue." He sighed, plopping back on the bed, this time close to her chest. Her hands instantly sought his, she held them tight and closed her eyes, kissing the fingers. Above her she heard him groan softly, then a warm breath upon her face as he gently kissed a trail from her cheek to her nose, then to her lips where his kissing grew rougher, more impatient. Quistis smiled under the heavy mouth, and licked around his lips. Just as Seifer opened his mouth to join her, Allen let out a quiet whimper, and shifted so his body was spooned around Quistis'. Seifer immediatly jerked away, asif the delicate hand that had settled on his girlfriend's arm held a lit match, or a grenade. Quistis sighed.  
  
"You came to talk, didn't you?"  
  
"Mhm. Why do you protect him so much?"  
  
"Can't you see he's just like us? Can't you go back in time, just a little, and recognize yourself in him?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Orphan, just like we were, craving for the love of the few people he had left. Directed to commit things he could not understand the meaning of. Doesn't it sounds like us? Directed to SeeD because we haven't anyone to take care of us, trained to be killers because no-one would mourn us..."  
  
"Quistis...I can't believe I hear you saying such things."  
  
"Why? Because I was a SeeD genius? Because I was an instructor? You know when they took away my license I thought nothing could ever get worse, but how egotistical I was..."  
  
"Young. We were all young. Head full of ourselves. And we all got fucked because of it."  
  
"And now I know that I am not going to let this happen anymore. I am not going to let my body used as bait meat because I have no-one to come back to..."  
  
"You have people...you have us."  
  
"Yeah, I have the other bait meats."  
  
"When exactly have you grown that bitter?"  
  
"I'd say time compression...I don't know what you did when you got lost in that spiral of chaos, but I did see what kind of life I was living. Then I got hospitalized...and it just finished the work. You know why I was in that train station when he caught me?"  
  
"Rinoa said you were taking a few days off..."  
  
"Ah yes, ever helpful Rinoa." Quistis sneered. "I was planning to disappear. I wanted to find the right spot-maybe Dollet, or Fisherman's Horizon, damn even a hole under a rock in Centra-where I could make myself forgotten and start over. I already had new identity made up. I could have done it, and no-one would have ever heard of me again."  
  
"Not even...us?"  
  
Quistis sighed. "No."  
  
Seifer had heard enough to bruise his ego. Without adding another word he stood up and walked back to the living room where he slept with Squall and Zell.  
  
For a long time Quistis' eyes stayed glued to the bedroom's door, but eventually sleep got the best of her and she thankfully sank into nothingness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The morning started early, when Kadowaki came knocking at the door at roughly 5 o'clock. Of course, if they wanted their little affair to stay a secret, they had to do it at the less orthodox times. Zell and Quistis got ready while the others were told to stay in the place. Squall didn't seem happy about it at all, but he finally gave up arguing with the plump woman and stormed off to the bathroom where he locked himself.  
  
Half an hour afterwards, Quistis was stuck in a white room, her head exposed for everyone to see and dying of shame because of it. In another bed next to hers, Zell was getting the same preparation. She tried to calm the shaking of her hands, but it only got worse when she saw the brunette woman-Dr. Kadowaki's friend-approach with the long needle. She tried to close her eyes tight, but couldn't ignore the burning, soaring pain of the metal meeting her flesh, over the old scar. The needle scratched a bit against the bone until the old hole was found, then plounged inside the brain tissues, painless but weird. The technician asked if she was okay, and she nodded. Then the device was activated.  
  
It was like a thunderbold screeching inside her skull, full of energy bursting through every vein, every cell, sucked up into the device. A very familiar pain, Quistis thought as she bit down into her lower lip hard, to keep herself from screaming. It wasn't the pain, not the physical one, but a rather intense melting of images, thousands of them, moving back and forth in her brain. Images of a similar device reflecting her own bald head while it sucked her life energy, her precious aura. Men and women all in white, between white walls, pure snow white without a hint of other color. The transparents tubes slowly filled with a white-ish liquid, shades of violent red passing through it like thunderbolts. Spasmotically, the liquid passed from her head to Zell's. His head bent forward as the liquid joined his empty self. Out of reflex, his hand flexed above the needle passing through his skull, but Dr. Kadowaki's hands were quicker than his, and pushed the fingers away from his head.  
  
"Calm, boy. It hurts, but it's not gonna be long."  
  
But Zell was already going limp, eyes wide open staring at Quistis and slowly filling with understanding. The childish light that inhabited the glowing orbs minutes ago had disappeared. His hands clenched when the doctor finally unplugged the long tube and slid the needle off his skull. Quistis felt like breathing again. Her head felt dizzy, but relieved at the same time. Zell looked like his normal self. He would remember. He would tell them what happened. He already started bouncing on his chair, while Dr. Kadowaki unplugged the last parts of medical equipment stuck in his skin. For once in her lifetime, she didn't felt like running to him and clamp a hand over his mouth before the neverending hyper rambling erupted from it. In fact, she knew she would forever cherish the first world he would say.  
  
She wasn't disappointed.  
  
"Fuck Quis? You look like shit!"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"What the hell happened here??" Zell yelled upon entering the flat. Quistis' thoughts echoed his, although she chose to keep them untold. The small kitchen was a wreck. The table and chairs had been thrown across the room, deep impacts imprinted in the walls. The cupboards' door where all open, some of them even ripped off their hinges, and the few dishes left unbroken where standing in dangerous equilibrium on the edge. The rest was scattered over the floor, some sharp pieces even embedded in the walls.  
  
As they were carefully walking amongst the remains of what seemed to be a fight, Squall bolted through the door, sweaty and sporting a nice deep cut on his left cheek. His first move was, as expected, to grab the 'newborn' Zell in a deathgrip. Zell responded immediately by grabbing Squall's head and crushing his lips with his, but the kiss, as intense as it was, had to end quickly, panic raising another level as Quistis realized Squall was all alone in the wrecked apartment.  
  
"Where are Seifer and Allen?" She cried from the living room doorway.  
  
Squall separated his mouth from his lover's and rested his face against his chest, almost falling to his knees in the process.  
  
"Someone betrayed us." Came the reply, muffled by Zell's flesh. "SeeDs came over, a little after you were gone to the hospital. They got Allen first and used him to lure us out of our hiding place. Seifer locked me in a closet I didn't even knew existed. Apparently they didn't either because I heard a fight and then just silence.I have no idea if they got him of if he just followed them.  
  
"SeeDs." Zell whispered, stroking Squall's soft hair. "I never thought one day we would end up in the other side of the fence."  
  
"I knew I would," Quistis smiled bitterly. "But I never thought I'd drag you all with me."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Seifer woke up to the sound of loud engine, and the smell of the sea invading his nostrils. Instantly he jumped from the tiny, utterly uncomfortable bunk bed he had slept on, and moved to the small window. The boat was irritatingly slow, but he guessed the SeeDs couldn't afford to cause a ruckus in the train with a bald hysteric boy and a well-known blonde giant who already threw at them half of the kitchenware available in the apartment. He had no idea where his (Hyne helps him) son was kept. He had no idea what Cid wanted to do with them. If his guessing was right, the SeeDs had come for Squall, so he had concentrated his energies on hiding him, forgetting-Hyne, how could he?-that Allen was there. Why did they took him? He had no idea. Allen wasn't known to them. Maybe they thought about using the boy as a bait. If that really was their intention, they had hit the wrong nerve.  
A shuffling of keys from behind the door, followed by the clicking sound of a bolt unlocked, tore him away from his thoughts. The door slammed open and three men-one blonde and two brunette, all of them seeming fairly uncomfortable, entered the room. Seifer stood from the bed, hovering a good inch and a half over the SeeDs. Juniors, he sneered inside. Barely able to hold themselves up in front of the legendary Sorceress Knight. Had Garden gone this far as to using kiddos for missions? These guys couldn't be older than fifteen.  
  
"So, what's today's schedule?" The blonde growled at the trio, surprised and amused to see them almost backing off to the doorway. Hyne, why were these kids on the battlefield?  
  
"You come with us," The taller of the two brunette finally uttered. "We've got to interrogate you."  
  
"As you wish, master." Seifer smiled his most predatory smile.  
  
They walked down to the open part of the SeeD boat, where Allen sat surrounded by more men in uniforms. He looked like a deer caught in the headlight, reduced to a scared bunch of misery and barely able to stay straight on the chair. For once, he seemed relieved, if not happy, to see him. His eyes lit up. Seifer was pushed on the chair beside the boy's, his wrists quickly tied against the armrests. Allen, however, was free of all restricting material. Definitely a sign of amateurs. Haven't they been taught that interrogating people separately increased the chances of breaking them? Pft.  
  
"First question." The officer talking was apparently a lot calmer now that Seifer was tied. "Where is Squall Leonhart?"  
  
"My, are we blunt!" Seifer sneered. "I don't have the slightliest idea."  
  
"Don't lie to us!" The SeeD shouted. "We know his disappearance is directly linked to yours, and Dincht's. Where are they?"  
  
"We got separated by events. We had no way to contact each others. I was waiting for him to reappear."  
  
"We know you were all seen in Galbadia. What were you doing here?"  
  
"Shopping."  
  
"SHUT UP!" The SeeD yelled, crimson with rage.  
  
"Hey what exactly do you want here?" Seifer taunted. "You want me to talk or to shut up?"  
  
The slap was highly unexpected, but not nearly hard enough to bruise.well, aside from his ego.  
  
"I may start liking it, sweetheart." He finally growled, shooting a suggestive glance to the military boy.  
  
With a disgusted glance, the SeeD finally admitted that he wouldn't gain anything from the blonde, and chose to turn to Allen instead. The boy literally shrunk under the hateful glare. Seifer knew he would have to help that little one to remain calm, and-Hyne help him!-quiet. As long as nobody knew where Squall was, things would still be salvageable.  
  
He didn't have to worry, in fact. Allen was far beyond frightened and couldn't even find the words to answer the SeeDs' questions. All he could do was stare wide-eyed an try to form coherent phrases that most of the time ended in a sob. Seifer cringed the sixth time the youth received a rather painful blow for his lack of cooperation, and once again tested the strength of his restrains. Hopeless. He could only break those faces in dream.  
  
Roughly an hour had passed when they finally decided they had enough of their irresponsive prisoners, and Seifer was brought back to his cell-while Allen stayed on the board with the men. A stab of worry passed through the ex-knight while he watched the bunch of SeeDs surrounding the boy. He had no idea what they were instructed to do. What if Cid was really out of his mind? What if he ordered to do anything to get to Squall? Would they go as far, as low, as to torture, to rape the boy to get what they wanted? Too late. The door clicked shut, followed by the sound of the bolt.  
  
Hyne, he would kill them, all of them, if they laid a single fingertip on the boy. On his boy. Right now he couldn't care less about how he could possibly have given life to Allen. He has his genes, the Almasy genes. His only family left. The possessive, knight streak in himself flared. No matter if he had to tear those fucking walls with his bare hands, strangle two dozen SeeDs and swim a hundred kilometers.  
  
But if he left, would he bring back the attention on Squall? Was his capture going to give him the vitals and precious days he needed to finish the job? Oh Hyne.would he be able to without them?  
  
Seifer had never felt so helpless in his life. He always listened to no-one but himself-to the point where Ultimecia had to pass through his own thoughts to give him orders, otherwise he wouldn't even listen.  
  
Now what to do? What to do?  
  
It couldn't be tears that flowed down his cheeks, down his chin. But he seriously doubted it, anyway.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Damn it took me forever again :D Life sure is a big thing to handle. So please please please refrain from asking for quicker updates. I said before I was a slow writer, I still am even more now with a job gone full- time, a boyfriend gone very full-time and 4 hyper rats turning my sofa to shreds *_* Stay assured, I WILL finish this fic, and the others. I just concentrated on this one for now as I don't have time to work on all 3 of them. I'm certainly not giving up on Wings of Forgiveness! I'm wayyy too fond of my potty-mouted angels ;)  
  
Ta-ta for now! Thanks as always for the reviews and support!  
  
Oh yeah! My spellcheck was dead so sorry for any mistake that could have sneaked his way in this chappy :/ 


	17. Where bitches are broken

Disclaimer: I swear they don't belong to me and that one day, just one day, I'm gonna go through that damned game without throwing coffee mugs at Rhino- aaaAAAAHHH!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 17: Where bitches are broken  
  
When Rinoa entered the cell, she was confronted to a blonde mass of pure fury, luckily enough chained to the wall and with what seemed to be a rubber ball stuck in his mouth. As he tried to get it out in hope to at least succeed to spit in the young sorceress' face, several electrical shocks left his breathless and shivering in the damp air. Rinoa smiled and closed the door behind her, then bolted it. She was wearing the classical junior SeeD uniform, with a black trench coat carelessly flung over her shoulders to block the cool air. Slowly, she walked to the defeated form, and gently laid a hand on his cheek. The ex-knight stiffened immediately, leading to another round of electrical pain. Rinoa couldn't help smiling at the enraged growls the suffering caused him. Always so proud. How she ached to break him. That would come soon enough.  
  
"So," She began, "I will be very concise. I can break you in zillions of bone shards, and then use the most powerful curaga spells to glue you back together, and then start over. We can spend hours and even days doing that. And don't even think I will let you escape through death, 'cause I won't. You will not win, Seifer. Try my nerves and you'll be happy to ever walk again. You'll be happy to ever escape this place."  
  
As she thought, Seifer chuckled.  
  
"You're so fucking stubborn, Almasy." But Rinoa removed the electric ball from Seifer's mouth, causing him to chuckle louder and almost bite her fingers off.  
  
"I think that's the first time I ever hear you swear, Rinny. Have the little daddy's girl finally grew up? Or are you just slowly turning into a heartless bitch out of frustration that your so-called boyfriend is fucking guys?"  
  
Rinoa slapped him so hard the plain silver ring she wore in her ring finger broke through his skin. No longer sparkling with sick glee, the chocolate irises shoved whirling spirals of hate in his green ones. She cannot be the teenage sweetheart I fucked, and he dated.  
  
"Fine, then, you want it rough, Seify?" Rinoa snarled in his ear, soon followed by a wicked bite at his earlobe. "I'll play dirty. Just remember who asked for it."  
  
Moving slightly aback, Rinoa removed her coat and slapped her hands together in a mimic of her usual cheerful self from the past.  
  
"Let's start then shall we? FLARE!!"  
  
The unbearable heat hit Seifer with an incredible strength. Seifer had been hit by flare spells before, but never that strong. He bit his lower lips to bleeding in a rather useless attempt not to scream. The spell had turned all of his clothing to ashes, leaving him completely nude. "That was a little bit too hot, sweetie. Let's cool down a bit." He couldn't see her through his tears, but he could tell she thoroughly enjoyed this.  
  
"BLIZZAGA!"  
  
The abrupt change of temperature lit his body on cold fire, as he watched his chest cover in icicles and sleet. He lost himself in the pain, screaming to the top of his lung, and hoping he would still be able to make the difference between a friend and a foe by the end of this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
(Meanwhile, in another part of Balamb Garden.)  
  
Allen woke up to the smell of breakfast, and for a while he really believed he was back home, with his mother waiting for him with a steaming cup of coffee, and toasts. He felt happy.  
  
Then something reminded him of something, like his mother being a murderer, his home being a mass grave, and himself not even knowing who was his mom anymore. Just so perfect.  
  
He grumbled and sat on the bed, slowly massaging his temples which had started to ache the day before. Too much stress, he guessed. He had no idea where Seifer had been put, but he hoped it was as nice and cozy as this room, on the upper deck of Garden, with huge windows that let heavy amount of sunlight stream and reverberate on the immaculate white walls. Even better, a tray had been brought while he was out in another world, filled with all kind of breakfast food. The delicious smell made his stomach grumble angrily. He couldn't even tell when was the last time he had a normal meal.  
  
Again, the strange stirring sensation in his head. He'd have to ask for painkillers later.  
  
The door creaked open, and a pretty heart-shaped head, crowned by long dark hair and showing one of the sweetest smile he had ever seen. The young woman closed the door behind her and walked like she floated over the floor. A slight perfume of peaches and strawberries came from her hair, and he briefly closed his eyes to smell better while she sat beside the bed.  
  
"Hi!" She squealed in a light, delighted voice. "I'm Rinoa. I rule this Garden."  
  
"You RULE?" Allen repeated, quite surprised. "You're way too young to be a ruler."  
  
"Oh don't be fooled by that." She tapped her nose. "I am a sorceress. I received my powers from Ultimecia-you remember that sorceress now, don't you? She was."  
  
The words drowned in the sound of his own suddenly quickened heartbeats. Rinoa was a sorceress. His mother was a sorceress too. In his childish, innocent mind, the two persons lines under a huge flashing red word. DANGER.  
  
"I.uh."  
  
"You were with my boyfriend, right?" The over-cheerful voice chirped again.  
  
"Your...uh? Who?"  
  
"My boyfriend! A bit tall, longish hair, gray eyes! His name his Squall."  
  
"Ah yes, I." Allen's mouth automatically shut in mid-sentence. Squall was with the little blonde man. Zell. Squall couldn't be Rinoa's boyfriend! She was tricking him!  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I mean, I think I know who you are talking about. He was a friend of Seifer right?"  
  
Rinoa beamed. "Yes! They were more like rivals, but they knew each other very well! So, have you seen him?" She sounded more than hopeful. Like she was playing a part of a play, and knew exactly what he was about to reply.  
  
"No, I never seen him." The boy replied, secretly smiling. "Seifer talked a lot about him, 'though."  
  
Rinoa's sweet exterior creaked, and he swore he saw the venomous snake looming underneath.  
  
"I know you were with him, boy. Why don't you tell me? I've been missing him so much. It's not funny being alone! Separated from the one you love. You know that?"  
  
A cold sweep of anger lifted Allen's spirit. Oh she was playing a little game. Like his mother. No way.  
  
"I don't know him. Never saw him. And certainly can't tell where he is, or with who."  
  
Rinoa's face turned sour.  
  
"I know you're lying, little one." She warned  
  
"I know you're nothing good for him. For anyone." Allen retorted, dumbfounded by his own guts.  
  
"Oh is it?" The now-turned-glacial voice chided. "Well good for you. CONFUSE!"  
  
The spell was highly unexpected. Allen thought she'd inflict pain, insults, but certainly not that. As the maelstrom of confusion hit him, he cried for the only person he could think of.  
  
"SEIFER!!"  
  
Then blackness engulfed him.  
  
And retreated, as swiftly.  
  
He was sitting in a stuffed chair, in a luxury room filled with paintings and what seemed to be rare, expensive trinkets put on even rarer and more expensive furniture. He could see city lights against night sky by the large, uncovered windows. But inside, only candles spread light, uncertain light.  
  
"Had enough thinking already?"  
  
Allen's head snapped from the sight of the outside, to the man he hadn't seen. "Seifer?"  
  
"Damn but you are clever, boy." The blonde smirked bitterly.  
  
"What are you doing here? You can't be here! Where are you?"  
  
"Fucking unconscious, in a cell." He replied. "Bitch knocked me over."  
  
"Bitch?"  
  
"The Black Bitch in Velvet Panties."  
  
"Oh, Rinoa."  
  
Seifer sneered. "Seems like you met her already."  
  
"She cast a confuse spell on me. I shouldn't be there."  
  
"Confusion and unconsciousness are close. I just hope you aren't babbling away all you know about Squall right now."  
  
"I hope so. I hate her."  
  
"Me too, kiddo. Me too."  
  
"Seifer?"  
  
"Uhn?"  
  
"Do you think I have powers too? I mean, I'm a sorceress' son after all.well I think."  
  
"Oh come on, you were luring people from trains down to her place, what do you think that is? Charm?"  
  
"Mhhhm."  
  
"You're underestimating yourself."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Honestly, and I only say that because we are in a desperate situation, and because I think I am going to wake up from my painful daze soon, but I think you are at least as powerful as she is."  
  
"Come on, she got her powers from Ultimecia! I got them from a low-life sorceress who couldn't even get out of her ranch."  
  
"That's harsh, kiddo. But I maintain what I just said. Don't let her walk over you. Oops, my back is starting to hurt real bad. Guess the chit-chat is over. Good luck."  
  
Seifer stood from the chair and walked to the door, then put a hand on the golden knob.  
  
"SEIFER!" The child had jumped on his feet and ran to the tall man, and before the blonde had the time to wonder what on Gaia the kid was thinking, he had a pair of thin but strong arms circling his mid-section, and a bald head buried against his chest. The boy seemed in deep panic  
  
"Don't leave alone with her please!!" He cried, afraid to go back on his real self, and meeting that pair of angered eyes again. "Please take me with you!"  
  
Seifer laughed softly and laid a warm, almost too real hand on his 'son's head. "I wish I could be there to defend you, boy. But I'm chained to a wall in Garden's basement, and I'm too weak to do anything beside whining. I wish."  
  
"I want you to get better! I WANT YOU TO HEAL AND GET BETTER AND COME GET ME!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
The word resonated in the room, and this time Seifer's smile was wide and genuine.  
  
"May your wish be granted, boy. Now I suggest opening your eyes."  
  
With that, he patted the bare skull a last time, and walked out, leaving a sobbing boy behind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rinoa had no idea what hit her when she found herself almost splattered against the wall by the powerful wind. She tried to move but then discovered she was literally stuck there-stretched and barely able to breathe under the attack. The boy had been babbling nonsense under the influence of the confuse spell, then all of sudden it was like a bomb ticking off. He started screaming like someone was ripping his guts off. Then this tornado blew out of his mouth! The sorceress struggled against the slowly forming bounds that held her limbs tighly against the wall, but it was useless. She had never encountered such kind of magic, thus had no idea on how to counterattack. Even worse, the magic seemed to have an effect on her brain, and soon enough she felt herself drifting off consciousness, with only the sound of swirling wind in her ears.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
(B-Garden's basement cell, same moment...)  
  
Seifer was pulled off his pain-induced unconsciousness by a soaring electricity, running through every nerve in his body. It was not nearly as painful as Rinoa's ministrations, but still highly uncomfortable.  
  
His eyes shot open. To see both his hands in front of his, cradling the steel chains that held them bound against the wall, minutes ago. The trimmed nails were now replaced by four-inches-long sharp claws. The already solid muscle under tanned skin was visibly growing, blossoming into bulges powerful flesh, soon covered by golden, shiny fur.  
  
Highly unnatural, and certainly alarming. But he felt very, very good. Even thought he had fallen on his knees on the moist ground, and found himself unable to stand back up. He stalked around the room on all fours, with newfound grace. He marvelled at the grace of his demeanour, the comfort he found in his new form.  
  
He stopped over a puddle of water that came from a dripping track on the wall. The surface reflected perfect almond-shaped green eyes, nestled amongst a debauchery of white and yellow-striped fur. A long muzzle replaced the usual smirking lips, and long, white whiskers. Large triangular ears twitched in surprise.  
  
Alarming. But nice.  
  
With a brief bark of laugher, the large golden wolf ripped the door open and followed the scent of his protégée.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Allen woke up feeling very cold, very messed up and undeniably very wet. The sun was high in the sky, and beating against his darkly-clothed back, but the downward parts of his body felt numb and glacial. The wind filled his nostrils with the smell of salt and seaweeds. A brief moment, he thought that it was it, he was dying from Rinoa's ministration, and his almost-cadaver had been thrown in the sea, and he was floating toward Dollets where the remnants of his body would be scooped with a shovel and...  
  
"That's rather pointless you know." A deep, not really human voice huffed in front of him. Allen's eyes popped open. Meeting the back of a huge golden canine head, topped with long pointy ears. His head had been cradled on the powerful neck of the creature, and its heat, despite the freezing ocean water, had kept him from hypothermia. The boy could still feel it running against his chest, like an internal fire. Both his hands clutched the long wet fur distinctly.  
  
"What..." He tried his best to stop the shacking of his jaw "What is pointless?"  
  
"Thinking about your own death." The creature barked. "You ain't going anywhere but where I am taking you."  
  
"And where exactly are you taking me?"  
  
"Up North, kiddo, and definitely West. We have friends to meet, and yet another bitch to break."  
  
Kiddo??  
  
"Seifer?"  
  
This time the bark certainly sounded like laughing. "How did you figured me out?"  
  
"Hyne above...it is really you?"  
  
"Damn right. I think I am pretty cool like this. Thanks for the help!"  
  
"I....what? what help?"  
  
"I told you, didn't I, that you were stronger than you thought."  
  
"I...made you this?"  
  
"Ain't I sexy? Damn I really like it. Seems like you merged me with an unknown GF named Fenrir. He lent me his powers and his body. I broke through my cell like it was a damned inflatable house!"  
  
"I can't do that!"  
  
"You are a sorceress' son. Sure you can. Stop underestimating yourself."  
  
"Yeah...well I guess I should..."  
  
"Yes you should. Now please be a peach and cast a Sleep on yourself. I keep getting water in my nose from all that talking."  
  
Allen smiled, his head buried in the soft fur. The Sleep spell wouldn't be necessary. He simply closed his eyes and let himself drift off the face of the world again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I was a bit quicker this time don't ya all think? *wink wink* Given that my winword ate my file like 4 times, I feel very lucky I didn't threw the computer out the window :(  
  
Next chappy will be what happens back in Dollet while Seifer and Allen were stuck in B-Garden. Just so you don't get mixed up.  
  
On a totally different topic, THE NEW MY LITTLE PONY ARE OUUUUUT *dances dances*  
  
Aherm....see you soon ;) 


End file.
